Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Fisheries
Agriculture is the main economic activity practiced in Baringo county. The major farming activities include dairy farming and growing of maize, groundnuts, cotton and coffee. The remainder of the county is mainly rangelands with the rearing of goats, sheep, cattle and camels and bee keeping forming the major livestock activities.
Main crops produced
Horticultural crops in the County are: Fruits which include Banana, mango, avocado, oranges, lemons, passion fruits, pawpaw, water melons, guavas, tree tomato, custard apple, apples, plums, pears, and peaches; Nuts and Oils include macadamia nuts and ground nuts; Vegetables grown in the County include cabbage, kales, tomato, carrots, French beans, spinach, garden peas, snow pea, snap peas, potato, eggplant, bell pepper/sweet paper, pumpkin fruit, pumpkin leaves, butter nut, leaf amaranth, African nightshade, spider plant and cowpeas and Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) including Bulb onion, Spring onion, Chilies and Aloe. The Cereal crops grown in the county are: Maize, Wheat, Rice, Sorghum, Finger millet, Pearl millet, Oats, Grain amaranth. Maize and beans are mainly grown in the highlands while sorghum and finger millet are grown in the lowlands. There is need to put incentives in agriculture like subsidized farm inputs to encourage more people into farming to reduces incidences of food shortage. Coffee is also grown in some parts Baringo north, Baringo central. Investors have shown interest in this crop and its production is expected to increase by double digits since the county for the last 3 years has been subsidizing coffee seedlings to farmers.
Average farm sizes
The average farm size is 2.5ha. Landholding in the county varies from one sub-county to another. Whereas landholding in the southern part of the county, that is, Koibatek Sub-Sounty, averages 2.5ha and demarcated with title deeds, land is still communal and managed by the community in the northern part, that is, Tiaty Sub-County, Baingo North and Baringo south.
Main storage facilities
A high percentage of agricultural produce is for subsistence purposes. The county is also served by the National Cereals and Produce Board, which has four depots in the county that are located in Eldama Ravine, Marigat, Kimalel and Kabarnet.
Main livestock breeds and facilities
The main livestock species in Baringo County include; cattle, goats, sheep, honeybees, poultry and camels. Goats contribute 60 percent of the household income in the agro pastoral livelihood zone while sheep, cattle and chickens contribute to 25, 14 and percent respectively.
Ranching in Baringo County
The group ranches in the Lake Baringo Basin were under adjudication and registration between 1968 and 1982 when the Kenya Livestock Development project phase I and II was functional. This project ended in 1982 when the Group Ranches were still under the process of adjudication and registration. Many of the group ranches that were proposed for adjudication and registration have yet to be fully registered. Those whose adjudication and registration have been completed have not had any ranch development carried out by the members nor have there been any donor to help finance the ranch developments. This situation has led to members of some of the group ranches demanding for subdivision of their ranches into individual holdings as indicated above. The group ranches neighboring urban centers are being encroached by the expanding towns
Apiculture/Beekeeping
Beekeeping (apiculture) is practiced in most parts of the County, particularly in the lowlands In addition to contributing directly to household incomes. Bees play an important role in plant pollination. The county produces an estimated 600 tonnes of honey annually valued at KES 120 million. Due to the low investment and variable costs involved, beekeeping is becoming increasingly popular in the county. In particular, the department of livestock production plans to increase productivity in honey among other commodities. The target is to revive existing honey refineries and construct more. Besides educating farmers on modern beekeeping methods, harvesting and processing techniques, there are plans to open up more collection centers and demonstration apiaries to be ran by the local communities Most of the farmers use the log hive and efforts have been intensified by the county government and stakeholders to gradually move the farmers to the use of appropriate (modern hives).
The department is working towards accomplishing the following
- Turning agriculture and livestock sectors into commercially driven and innovative life transforming ventures is a sure strategy to enable our farmers to take advantage of the enormous market opportunities within and beyond Baringo to create a spring board towards economic empowerment for our farmers.
- Address the challenges facing farmers through the strengthening of marketing agencies within cooperative societies, construction of dams and establishment of irrigation schemes. Recruiting more agricultural extension officers to improve farmers’ skills and bridge the knowledge gap.
- Encourage and support farmers in pasture production and conservation during the rainy season to eradicate animal deaths during long dry spells. The establishment of pasture farms and hay sheds within the county to will be upscaled to supplement farmers’ efforts in feed production and to provide animal feed supply during dry seasons.
- Empower apiculture farmers to major in the production of Baringo’s organically certified and medicinal honey which is internationally acclaimed as it is produced from the Acacia tree (Vachelliatortilis) that covers Baringo landscape and provides the bees with unpolluted nectar for making truly organic honey.
- The county government will avail resources to diversify farming activities and promote fish farming not only as a way of improving food security but also increasing household incomes.
Environment, Natural Resources, Tourism, and Wildlife Management
The county government endeavors to manage the diverse landscapes and natural re- sources in a manner that supports healthy environment for economic growth and sustain- able development. Tree planting is an important endeavor which contributes to environ- mental conservation.
Baringo County Government has successfully implemented the school greening program, where twenty thousand over 20,000 mango seedlings and ninety-five thousand 150,000 trees seedlings have been planted in schools and other public utilities. Apart from contributing significantly to food security, these planted mangoes are projected to generate an income of over KShs 83.5 million to the schools and women groups annually, when they reach maturity and the trees to increase our forest cover significantly.
Main Forest types and size of forests
According to Kenya Forest Service, there exist 11 number of gazetted forests covering a total area of 73, 709 hactares of land and one non-gazetted forests covering a total of 2, 593 hactares of land across Baringo County.
Main Forest products
The Main wood forest products include include; timber, fuel wood, poles, withies, charcoal, wild fruits among others, while non-wood forest products are grass, quarrying, water, soil, herbs ,honey among others.
Land degradation in Baringo County manifests as soil erosion, vegetation degradation and sedimentation of open water sources which pose a threat to the livelihood of Baringo County residents. Overgrazing, overstocking, deforestation, uncontrolled charcoal burning and cultivation on steep slopes especially in the highlands in the County degrade the land. Proper Baringo County Integrated Development Plan, 2018 – 2022 45 measures need to be put in place to mitigate the impact of land degradation. Furthermore, productive land is necessary for crop production and good pasture. Increased human population coupled with climate change put pressure on land resource. Deforestation and land degradation upstream also results in flooding downstream.
Causes of environmental degradation in Baringo County
- Felling of trees in forests and charcoal burning
- Soil erosion and floods
- Unregulated and uncontrolled waste disposal
- Sand harvesting along river beds
- Presence of quarries leaving many openings which pose dangers
- Poor farming methods
- Encroachment of expanding populations into forested areas
- Agricultural inputs contaminating soil and water bodies resulting in eutrophication
- Overgrazing
Drought Conditions
Drought condition occurs frequently in the county causing livestock deaths and loss of farm produce. This is due to low rainfall patterns. Drought is ranked as the County’s leading hazard exposure in terms of magnitude and spread. This is regarded as one of the most important player in shaping the socio- economic structure and livelihood system in Baringo
Value chain development of forestry products
The following are the Value chain development activities of forestry products; Poles treatment plants, Charcoal production, Tannins (wattle trees), Electricity generation from biomass, Honey processing, Fruit juice processing plants, Human food and animal fodder processing (prosopisjuliflora) guns and resins production, Fuel energy saving technologies e.g. improved jikos
Main tourist attraction, national parks and reserves
The bubbling waters, hot springs, gushing geysers, flamingoes and ostriches are among the major attractions in Lake Bogoria and Kapedo hot springs. Other wildlife includes tortoises, large aquatic and terrestrial game. There is also huge potential for private/community con-
servancies as well as cultural and agro-eco-tourism tourism. Baringo County boasts of high class tourist resort centers, among them Lake Bogoria Spa Re-
sort and Papyrus Inn hotels. Baringo County shall also diversify the industry and tap into conference tourism potential by marketing the existing facilities and promoting and encouraging new investments to comple-ment earnings from other tourist attractions. Other areas with opportunity for diversification include education tourism and golf tourism. The county governments will, therefore, support incentive schemes to enhance educational tourism and actualization of golfing. Some forests in Tugen Hills, Laikipia escarpment and Eldama Ravine have beautiful sceneries that attract regular visitors. Apart from being good catchment areas for birds, wildlife, picnics and eco-tourism, forests encourage soil conservation through terracing, vegetable growing and beekeeping.
Lake Baringo has 13 islands and viewpoints that provide magnificent views of the lake. The largest island being Ol-kokwe, with Samatian being small but with breathtaking views across the bronze waters of Lake Baringo. Other interesting tourist locations in the lake are Soi Safari Lodge, Lake Baringo Club as well as Reptile Park, which is one of the largest reptile parks in the Rift Valley. Another one is Ruko Wildlife Conservancy that scenic attractions ranging from wildlife to cultural villages. Korossi volcano, which rises 1,449m above sea level, offers an ideal spot for watching birds such as bat hawks and majestic verreauxs eagle. Kabarnet National Museum and Kipsaraman Community Museum are located on top of Tugen Hills. The two museums form unique tourist
sites with varied attractions and house traditional Kalenjin artifacts, which include musical in-truments, storage equipment, furniture and ornamental decorations. At Eldama Ravine, there are the Kursalal falls, a stunning waterfall within Lembus forests.
Baringo County has Lake Bogoria National Game Reserve, which is 107km2.The acacia wood-lands in the national game reserve is home to many wild animals, among them rare kudus, antelopes, zebras, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, mongoose, monkeys, baboons and jackals.
There are more than two million lesser flamingoes and 350 bird species, especially along the shores of the Lake Bogoria. Lake Baringo has 450 bird species such as pale and dark phase gabar goshawk, paradise fly-catcher, African fish eagles, marabou stocks, shikra and white-faced scops owl, hemphrick”s hornbill (along the cliffs), the African darter and occasionally the African skimmer. Apart from birds, visitors have the opportunity to view crocodiles, hippopotamus, the imposing Laikipia escarpment as well as the dramatic Tugen Hills. Lake Baringo Snake Park has snake species such as the black mamba, puff adder, boom slang and spiting cobra. Other reptiles in the park are monitor lizards, crocodiles, tortoises and harm-less stripes bellied sand snakes
Health and Nutrition
To accord high quality and reliable health and therefore improved productivity for its residents, Baringo County Government has since 2013 invested heavily on health sector.
Health facilities
The health facilities are distributed across the sub counties and enable the populations to access health care in places nearest to where they reside. There is one level 5 facility; Baringo County Referral Hospital located in Kabarnet, 4 level four facilities located in Eldama Ravine, arigat, Kabartonjo and Chemolingot towns. Level 3 facilities are health centres while level four facilities are dispensaries. Level one represents the community units which is the lowest level of health care is carried out mostly by community health volunteers (CHVs).
Morbidity: Five most common diseases in order of prevalence The most common diseases facing the people of Baringo are upper respiratory tract infection, malaria, disease of the skin, diarrhoea, pneumonia, arthritis and joint pains. Most of these diseases are preventable and thus there is need to put more emphasis on preventive measures to reduce these ailments. More malaria cases are reported in Tiaty, Baringo North and Baringo central respectively. More cases of pneumonia are reported in Koibatek than any other sub county.
Nutritional status (prevalence of stunting and wasting in children under 5 years: height-for-age, weight-for-height, weight-for-age). There are high levels of wasting, underweight and stunting in the County especially in Tiaty and this leads to reduced immunity, productivity and survival.
Immunization coverage
The ideal situation is to have all the children under five receive all the required immunizations so that they are immune to vaccine preventable diseases. Increased community awareness on the dangers of missing immunization will encourage mothers to bring their children to health facilities in order to access this service.
Maternal healthcare (maternal deaths, number of mothers delivering in hospitals, ante-natal and post-natal care). Women are encouraged to deliver at health facilities. This will reduce maternal mortality since complications can be anticipated and dealt with accordingly.
Access to family planning services/Contraceptive prevalence
Access to and uptake of family planning services is still low and needs to be stepped up to ensure adequate space between children. This will contribute to a population of healthy children.
HIV and AIDS prevalence rates and related services
The prevalence of HIV currently stands at 1.6%. Prevalence has reduced over the years due to aggressive efforts towards counselling and testing and starting those infected on ART. This has been achieved through support from partners, mainly global fund. Many of those infected are now able to live normal productive lives and even raise HIV negative children.
Achievements in 2018
The Department of Health Baringo County on 31st Jan 2018 achieved major milestones on the Development, Validation and Adoption of key documents that the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Technical Working Group had been working on for some time, supported by AFYA UZAZI, namely:
- HRH Strategic Plan for Baringo County 2018 – 2022.
- Job Descriptions for leadership positions in the Dept. of Health.
- Guidelines on Attraction and Retention Strategies for Health Care Workers.
The team was also able to determine the Workload and Staffing Gaps for all levels of Health facilities in the County using the WHO WISN (Workload Indicator of Staffing Needs) Tool. This will help in equitable redistribution of available staff and recruitment with availability of funds.
There was also an Award Ceremony for Best performing staff and Health facilities in the County, a first for all Departments the County. The award ceremony was graced by The Deputy Governor Baringo County H.E Jacob Chepkwony, CEC Health service Hon. Mary Panga, C. O. Health Services Mr. Richard Koech, and Dr. Abakalwa G. (CDH-A/P)
Education, Sports, Culture and Social Services
The department of youth sports, gender, labour and social security services is in the fore- front working towards an all-inclusive society devoid of any form of discrimination based on one’s gender, religion, race or ethnicity. We have in the last three years implemented pro- grams that aim to uplift the economic prospects of our youth through capacity building to develop their talents and entrepreneurial culture.
Pre- School Education (Early Childhood Development Education)
The county has 1012 functional public ECDE with an enrolment of 47,409 pupils. There are 60 upcoming ECDE centers. These ECDE impart knowledge skill, values as stipulated in education curriculum. Baringo county government has employed 1772 ECDE teachers and 9 ECDE codinators, who are in charge of department activities in the sub counties. The county has 331 special needs children in ECCDE out of this 174 are male and 157 are females, there are 12 ECCDE teachers in the county (MoE 2017). The department have established a college which trained ECDE teachers and act as resource development center for both human and material department. The trained teachers acquire knowledge, values and skills which are valuable for employment in various centers as well as self-employment in private ECDE centers.
Special Needs Education ECDE Centres
The county government has put in place a number of mechanisms to ensure a good education foundation for children with special needs. A number of programmes exist but there is still need for teachers with specialized training in various categories of disabilities to be employed. The special schools are distributed as follows in the sub-counties: Baringo Central 7 schools, Baringo North 5 schools, East Pokot 3 schools, Marigat 7 schools, Mogotio 5 schools, Koibatek 7 schools. The total enrolment for special needs education is 2080 of which 850 are girls and 1230 boys.
Primary Education
The county has 681 primary schools with total enrollment of 143,445 pupils. The county has 2030 pupils with special needs enrolled in primary schools since the introduction of Free Primary Education, remarkable improvement in enrollment has been observed. The county’s performance in National Examination has greatly improved over the years in spite of the unique challenges which the pupils undergo. However, the retention and transition rates remain a challenge. County Government shall mainstream issues on retrogressive socio-cultural practices and pre-occupations by mobilizing resources and partnering with other development agencies to build equip and staff schools. Resources shall be committed by the county government and partners for enhance school feeding programmes and other education incentives. The County government shall also support integration of ICT in primary education together with partners.
Youth polytechnics, Vocational Education and Training
The county has 13 functional Youth Polytechnics with an enrolment of 1,520 trainees and 5 up-coming Youth Polytechnics. These polytechnics impart artisan skills which are valuable for employment in various sectors as well as self-employment. The following are the courses which are currently on offer in our Youth polytechnics: Food processing Technology, Modern methods of Agriculture (Agribusiness),Metal processing Technology, electrical and Electronics Technology, Motor Vehicle Technology, Building Technology, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, Appropriate Carpentry and joinery, Information Communication Technology, Leather Work Technology, Fashion Design and Garment Making Technology, Hair dressing and Beauty therapy and General Education Subjects: communication skills, entrepreneurship, life skills and ICT studies.
Secondary Education
There are 159 secondary schools with an enrolment of 19469 boys and 18962 girls this makes a total of 38,731 students as at end of 2017.secondary school net enrolment rate for the county stands at 45.3% (NCPD 2017) Among notable challenges facing the sector include harsh climatic conditions, especially in the lower part of the county; insecurity, which often results in closure of some schools; poor infrastructure; floods in the low lands; prolonged draught; high illiteracy rates among parents and retrogressive cultural beliefs. The county government shall operationalize a bursary scheme for needy students and those rescued from retrogressive socio-cultural practices and pre-occupations.
Tertiary and technical Education
The county has two Technical Institutions i.e Emining technical training institute and Baringo technical training institutes with an enrolment of 372( 226 Male and 146 Female) and 361(243 Male and 118 Female) respectively there are a total of 54 instructors for this two institutions, the county has one teachers training college namely Baringo teachers training college with an enrollment of 757 students (342 Males and 393 Female) with 42 lecturers the county also has one Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), one university campus and three commercial colleges.
Adult and continuing Education
Adult and continuing education plays a key role in enhancing literacy among the adults. The following table presents enrolment in adult and continuing education.
Museums, Heritage and Cultural sites
The county has a number of cultural sites with historical significance to the communities. There are two major museums managed by National Museums of Kenya and members of the community; Kabarnet Museums (National Museums of Kenya) and Kipsaraman Community Museum. Other than museums there are cultural centres managed by the county government and the community; Kimalel cultural centre, Lembus cultural centre, Turuturu, kapluk cultural centre, Tugen cultural centre, Meisori cultural centre and Tangulbei cultural centre. There are also various tourists’ attraction cultural sites across the county; Benongoi in Sirwa location, Chemususu forest which need to be protected and profiled to meet touristic standards.
Talent Academies
The county has two talents development centres, Torongo and Talai which are still under development. The youth engaging in athletics have been using the centres as holiday training camps.The facilities are situated in sites with conducive altitude thus the need to develop and make them more conducive for training.
Sports facilities
Baringo sports facilities are still far from reaching the required international standards.The county has rehabilitated temporary playing fields in sub-counties located in public primary and secondary schools which are still insufficient for other sporting activities. The Kabarnet and Eldama Ravine modern stadiums are still under construction are expected to meet most of the sporting needs within and outside the county once they will be complete.
Cultural facilities
The county is developing a player’s theatre at the county headquarters and one cultural centre in Kimalel. These facilities will help cultural groups with spaces to store and showcase their cultural products.
Lands, Housing and Urban Development
Land, sometimes referred to as dry land, is the solid surface of the earth that is not permanently covered by water. Most human activities occur on land which support agriculture, vast habitats and natural reources. Baringo County with a total land area of 11,015 square kilometres, has total arable land of 4, 435, total non-arable land of 5, 700 and total urban area land of 715 square kilomtres of Land. The department is mandated to spear head the establishment, regulation, and growth of urban centers in the County. We also manage the land adjudication and demarcation process, as well as assisting in the issuing of relevant land ownership documents. When residents are in possession of land documents, it becomes easy to defend their rights when they are aggrieved because they will have backing in law.
The department is using the following strategic objectives for management
- To promote excellence in service delivery
- To develop institutional and legal framework and increase participation of stakeholders in the sector.
- To Increase crop, livestock, fish production and productivity through appropriate technology for food security
- To Increase market access through promotion of value addition and development of standards along the value chains;
- To prevent and control crop, livestock, fish pests and diseases 6.
- To transform urban planning, housing and sanitation
- To promote administration and sustainable management of land.
- To enhance community participation in drought resilience and climate change adaptation
- To promote natural resources conservation and management
Land ownership categories/classification
Land tenure systems define rights to land ownership, use, access, control and transfer. The Constitution of Kenya categorizes land tenure into three groups, which community land, private land ownership and public land.
Community Land:
The largest portion of land in Baringo County is community land, held in trust by the County Government. Community land is protected under Article 63 of the Kenyan Constitution, will now be governed as outlined by the recently enacted Community Land Act 2015. The community land ownership is predominant in Tiaty, North and South Baringo sub-counties. There are no community land/ group ranches in Baringo Central, Eldama Ravine and Mogotio. Group ranches are mostly found in Marigat, Kimalel, Bartun, Salabani, Kokwa Island, Eldume, Sabor, and Ngaratuko. The community land in Baringo South has been a source of conflict. However, with the recent enactment of the Community Land Act 2015, the existence of large portions of community land in the County is a big opportunity for development. The Act will enable communities to register their rights and interests in communal land, and to prepare their own plans for development, management and use of that community land. One of the forms of community land management is conservancies. A conservancy refers to land set aside by an individual landowner, body corporate, group of owners or a community for purposes of wildlife conservation (Wildlife Act 2013). The benefits from conservancies range from improved security, better land management, income, employment and support to community projects. There are various conservancies in the county.
Private Land Ownership
Private land ownership is dominant in Eldama Ravine, Mogotio, Baringo Central and the highlands of Baringo North (such as Ossen, Kabartonjo and Kipsaraman), which are largely held under a freehold basis. Land is also held on a leasehold basis within the town centres.
Public Land
Public land refers to land governed either by the national government or by the county government (other than community land). Within the County, this includes the forested lands, Lake Bogoria National Reserve and Lake Kamnarok National Reserve (managed by the County Government), Lake Baringo and the public land within town centres. Public land management is a complex matter because of the myriad of legislation and institutions involved in its governance. The main challenge facing public land is encroachment and grabbing in various parts of the county. This in turn, constrains public utility provision when it is planned for as land availability no longer exists. There is therefore, an urgent need to reclaim and protect all public land within the county.
The New Baringo Land Policy aims at increasing public land by obligating a surrender of 10% of land for public use whenever any subdivision of group ranches into individual parcels is being done, or 4% of land where land over 2.5 acres is being subdivided into smaller units.
Percentage of land with title deeds
In Baringo County, three main types of land tenure exist: Leasehold, freehold, communal land. Most land in Baringo County is under trust and is owned by the community. The main land ownership documentation includes title deeds (47%) and letters of allotment (23%) and the remaining (30%) held Occupation Licenses, Letter of offer, Certificate of Ownership, Scheme Cards and Certificate of lease as ownership documentation.
Settlement patterns
Human settlements refer to the concentration of activities and people in space. They include urban areas, informal settlements, etc. Settlements play an important role; they are agents of economic growth and provide favorable locations for productive investment. Physical developments in functional human settlements — whether located in urban or rural areas — are organized in a coherent manner. Human settlements are broadly categorized as urban or rural. Rural population is majorly homogenous and the settlements are characterized by nucleated/clustered patterns while urban population are predominantly heterogeneous and follows linear and clustered patterns. Sustainable human settlement development is achieved through the integration of services and functions offered at growth, service and market centres facilitated by human settlement. Human settlements therefore, play an important role as agents of economic growth by providing favorable locations for productive investments, human resource and market for the produce.
Housing Types
Housing Typologies
Housing typologies are largely influenced by the level of services within the County and also by the indigenous culture of the people. Nomadic pastoralism as a way of life is predominant in some section of the County. Majority of people use mud/wood for construction of their houses as this is easily available and affordable. A smaller percentage of the population use brick and blocks. This can be attributed to the nomadic nature and lifestyle of the various communities in the region thus the need for temporary structures that can be easily demolished when need arises. However, it is important to note that the plot densities around major towns are beginning to increase and this will require development control in future.
Housing Materials
In Baringo County, 25% of homes are constructed by use of cement material, 73% have earth floors and less than 1% has tile floors. Baringo central has the highest share of cement floors at 46%. Tiaty has the least cement floors 4%. (KNBS and SID, 2013). Corrugated iron sheets are commonly used the county at 58% and grass and Makuti thatched houses 39%. Other roofing materials are mu/dung and concrete each at 1%. Eldama Ravine Sub County has most of the houses with corrugated roofs while Tiaty has the highest number of homes with Makuti/grass roofs at 92%. The most common material used in the county is mud/wood at 57%, wood only at 26%, grass/thatched walls at 2% while 1% made of tin and other materials.
Informal Settlements
Informal settlements in urban areas are settlements that have no legal ownership of land they occupy and the buildings do not comply with planning and building standards. Informal settlements in Baringo County include Bondeni in Eldama Ravine, Bondeni and Kap_timbor in Kabarnet, Kivumbini and Kampi Turkana in Marigat and Katorong’ot in Mogotio sub counties. There is need for the county government to coordinate all slum upgrading projects in the county. The county government should facilitate the regularization of slums and informal settlements, towards providing sustainable housing solutions.
Infrastructure and Urban Development
Under infrastructure development the county aspires and firmly interested in county interconnectivity by roads, developing sanitation facilities in urban areas and access to telecommunications. Other facilities the county aspires to provide are drainage systems in urban areas, non-motorable pathways, solid waste management, Urban Development plans to manage land use, establish GIS Laboratory for land use management.
Industry, Commerce, Enterprise, and Corporative Development
The department is charged with the responsibility to ensure trade development and regulation Including markets, trade licenses, fair trading practices, and cooperative societies.
TRADE DIVISION FUNCTIONS
Introduction
- The department is charged with the responsibility of facilitating and promoting the orderly development and growth of domestic trade through formulating and implementing trade policies and strategies.
- We implement the policies and strategies at the County level.
The mandate of the division
- Implementation of the National Trade policy at County level
- Promotion of Investments
- Trade Licensing and Regulation
- Provision of Business Development Services
- Coordination and Development of Micro, Small and Medium Business engaged in trade
- Development of Wholesale and Retail Trade
- Management of Credit Schemes for Micro and Small enterprises
- Collection of Business information and management of Business Information Centers
- Promotion of export business and domesticating of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade arrangements.
- Advocacy for the provision of market infrastructure.
- Provide Capacity building programs to MSMEs in conjunction with relevant stakeholders.
- Promotion and facilitation of Intra, Inter County trade and Cross Border trade
- Management of County Physical Markets and Regulation of Hawking activities
- Conduct of fairs/exhibitions and facilitating trade mission in the County
- Promotion of E-commerce
- Promotion of Fair-Trade Practices
- Collaborate and network with private sector Organizations on trade matters (e.g. KNCC&I, KAM, Financial institutions and other Government departments
- Promotion and Facilitation of Producer Business Groups in the County.
Section specific
- Trade development section
- Implementation of the National Trade policy at County level
- Provision of Business Development Services
- Promotion and coordination of development of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises engaged in trade
- Development of Wholesale and Retail Trade
- Management of Credit Scheme for Micro and Small enterprises
- Promotion of exports in the County
- Undertake promotion of inter, intra-county and cross border trade
- Implement vision 2030 Trade Projects/Programmes
- Investment section
- Advocacy for creation of conducive environment for trade and investment
- Undertake profiling of investment opportunities in the County
- Collaborate with other agencies in development of County investment plans
- Weights & measures section
- Ensuring use of approved Weights and Measures equipment’s in trading
- Undertaking Consumer Protection
- Promote fair trade practices
- Business training section
- Undertaking business training and Counseling
- Providing business Consultancy Services
- Licensing and markets section
- Business regulation and licensing
- Advocacy for provision of market infrastructure
- Management of County markets and hawking activities
Programmes/projects of the department in Baringo county
Baringo trade development joint loan board scheme and Baringo county small & medium enterprises fund;
- Provides loans to indigenous smallscale traders.
- Must be in business for at least 6 months
- Must be owner/manager
- In premises location.
- Dealing in goods and services sector
- Light industry, i.e Jua kali artisans
- Amount: Between 20,000 and 300,000 w.e.f. 18th November, 2013 for JLB scheme & the same for SMEs Fund
- Interest rate 8% p.a on reducing balance.
- Grace period – one month
- Repayment period – 12 to 24
- Loan must be
- It is a revolving fund.
Other activities of the division
- Training of loan beneficiaries; To sensitize them on loan management and record keeping.
- Public Barazas (Business interactive Forums); To sensitize public on trade matters and the activities we undertake.
- Producer Business Groups;
We encourage formation of Producer Business Groups in their various sectors in order to have better bargaining power for their produce and explore wider markets as a group as compared to an individual.
Retail and wholesale Businesses census;
Implementation of the National Trade policy at County level
The department also carries out census of these businesses to establish whether there is expansion or shrinking of the businesses in the county.
Profiling Businesses and Investment opportunities;
This is done to establish a data bank of all business opportunities in the county so to publicize the same to potential investors and the public in general
Achievements so far:
The small and medium enterprises fund, is a revolving Fund.
Industrialization and enterprise development
Roles of Industrialization and Enterprise Development
- Formulation and monitoring the implementation of the industrialization policies
- Safeguarding industrial property rights and settlement of industrial property rights disputes
- Quality control and standardization
- Capacity building for industrial development
- Development of institutional capacity for Micro-small and medium enterprises.
- Support establishment and growth of business enterprises
- To facilitate trade in locally produced goods and services through establishment of market infrastructure, linkages and information sharing.
- To promote investment in value addition to local products.
Cooperative development
The sector works towards the mission to promote a vibrant co-operative sector through enabling policy and legal framework for sustainable socio- economic development in Baringo County.
Roles of cooperatives
- Regulation of the Cooperative sector
- Provision of Co-operative Extension Services
- Co-operative Education and Training
- Provision of Cooperative Audit Services
- Co-operative Financing policy
- Co-operative Savings, Credit and Banking Services Policy
- Co-operative Governance
- Co-operative Marketing, including value addition and processing
- Promotion of new Co-operative Ventures
Finance and Economic Planning
The County Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning plays a pivotal role as it is charged with the responsibility of managing county finances.
This encompasses mobilizing local resources through revenue collection and additional support from partners to finance county government budgetary requirements, procuring goods and services for the county government, development planning and monitoring & evaluation of County projects. The Department also formulates, implements and monitors economic policies involving expenditure and revenue to ensure balanced, sustainable socioeconomic development.
In carrying out this mandate as a department we pledge to be efficient, effective and exercise austerity, transparency and fiscal discipline in financial management.
County Governments are required to prepare five-year County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) to guide planning and budgeting activities at the county level.
Devolution, Public Service Management and Administration, e-government and ICT
Devolution continues to shape the way public affairs are conducted, how decisions are made, and how public resources are utilized. The citizens now have the constitutional mandate to not only identify their unique and specific problems but also suggest for the best remedies to their development needs and challenges through public participation. Through your participation in these fora, together we shall chart the path of inclusivity and participation by all in governance; women, youth, people living with disability, our senior citizens, the vulnerable and minorities.
The fruits of devolution however cannot be realized without efficient, well trained and motivated public service members with commitment to customer satisfaction, work ethic and good corporate governance.
Baringo County’s Ministry of Devolution, Public Service, Administration and ICT is responsible for the implementation of County human resource administration, management, policies, rules and regulations in the Public Service for over 4,000 members of County Staff. The ministry does this with a view to improving performance management, service delivery in the Public Service and to ensure discipline, teamwork, orderly growth and balance for sustainable socio-economic development in Baringo.
This department is the custodian of the human resource management information systems. We are responsible for training and building of human resource capacity as well as overseeing placement and rationalization to ensure staff is deployed as per their respective trainings and fields of specialization to optimize performance in the County Public Service.
The online provision of government services holds key to improving service delivery and cutting costs both for government and our clients by a big measure. The full integration of ICT in government operations therefore is a commitment that we as a department will purse with dedicated passion.
Water and Irrigation
Baringo County Government’s approach to the improvement of access to water solutions is multipronged. Our water projects target to reduce distances that our people cover to get clean water, provide sufficient quantities for domestic use and enough to adequately water our livestock within their localities. Wherever possible, we strive to harness water sources to surpass this and provide water for irrigation and industrial use.
Since 2013, over 200 water supply projects have been rolled out, among them 15 government funded bore- holes, 100 gravity systems, 23 water pans, rehabilitation of 61 existing water supply schemes, and pipeline extensions for water projects in 30 wards. These has resulted to increase of access to water from 35% to over 60%,as over 400,000 resi- dents and their livestock are accessing this precious commodity. This translates to an estimated population of 400,000 people getting water.
With the expected completion of second Phases of Kirandich and Chemususu (handed over to the County Government by H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta recently) dams, we expect access-to-water levels to surpass the 80% mark. Each of the two dams has the capacity to supply enough water to support industrial investments in the county. With support worth KShs 1.3 billion from Japan Government through JICA, we are sinking an additional 100 boreholes which we expect to be fully operational by the end of 2016. Good progress is therefore being witnessed in ensuring Baringo communities, our various institutions and trading centers are supplied with clean water. The implementation of 13 irrigation scheme projects in the last three years has increased land under irrigation by over 2,000 acres. A number of schemes developed have been the target for expansion as second and third phases with the intention of realizing additional 3000 acres coverage of land under irrigation. This will bring the total land under irrigation to 10,070 acres and place us well on the path to not only being food secure, but also to being a surplus food producing county.
Transport, Public Works and Infrastructure
Road infrastructure is an enabling factor of economic growth that is pivotal especially in the realization of our development goals as outlined in Baringo’s CIDP-2018-2023. A thrive on Tourism, marketing of goods, labour mobilization, industrialization, mineral and energy exploitation, agricultural and other production activities ride on this factor. It is therefore central for us to direct our focus towards the development of this sector.
Baringo County government has started implementing a roads sector Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) dubbed ‘Imarisha Barabara Initiative’, a 100-day operation that aims to gravel, grade and maintain 600 km of road network across all the 30 wards of the County at a cost of Shs 80 Million.
The programme is designed to be high impact and targets to construct at least 20 km of road in each ward using County Government road equipment and hired machinery among them six excavators, 12 graders and 24 tippers with sixty youth involved in supplementing the existing officers. This operation that is envisaged to be an annual exercise categorizes Wards into five clusters of six Wards each and utilizes all the equipment simultaneously to finalize a section before going to another road based on a well worked out schedule.
The coming up of the programme was informed by the need to pull together resources and equipment and concentrate works on vital road network that can link several wards.
Security Roads
Our focus is on roads that can spur development and enhance peace and security like the more than 70km Churo- Atiletin-Plesian-Nasuur- Lochogia-Akwechatis road which will link Naudo-Riongo-Nginyang road hence Tiaty with Samburu, Turkana and Laikipia counties. This will create positive outcomes on our economy as it creates a direct connection between Nginyang, Amaya and Churo markets that have huge livestock trade potential.The approach of awarding a tender to an individual contractor to do county road ended up spreading resources too thin hence desired results were not achieved, necessitating the shift to a targeted programme that concentrates resources to do the job in the shortest time. Rural roads form bulk of our network in the county. To this end, we will continue opening up more rural roads and establish foot bridges to enhance movement and socio-economic linkages. The Eitui-Kaplaimoi road, Tuluongoi-Tian road are but few examples of new roads cutting through hills and challenging terrain. Additionally, the construction of another 120 km of murram roads will financed by Roads Maintenance Levy Fund through Constituency Development Funds.
Urban infrastructure upgrade
We are committed to ensuring continued upgrade of our urban areas. Already, there are ongoing road tarmacking projects in all our major towns including Kabarnet, Eldama Ravine, Mogotio, Chemolingot, Marigat and Kabartonjo that will see the paving of one kilometer in each of the town. This will be accompanied by other town facelifts like cabro paving parking spaces, lighting and establishment of drainage systems. Planning of urban areas is critical if all factors like public amenities, water and sewerage systems are to be properly laid down during development and future if future expansion is to be taken care of.
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