The County Executive for Tourism, Culture, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Elizabeth Loote has today hosted North Rift Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) Regional Director Dr. David Langat, who paid her a courtesy call at the Department headquarters in Lodwar.

The two held comprehensive deliberations on having a Memorandum of Understanding, in which KEFRI seeks land of 1000 hectares to establish a seedling processing unit for growing species that could be planted in Turkana.

In her remarks, CECM Loote acknowledged receipt of the proposed MoU document, saying it was being processed by various offices in the county to ensure compliance with the law and involvement of the members of the public in matters of land.

She lauded the partnership between the county and KEFRI while citing the support during the national tree planting day, where more than 2000 trees were planted.

“As a County Government, we have allocated funds towards the greening Turkana Project and Prosopis management. We would appreciate technical assistance from KEFRI, owing to their expertise and experience in implementing similar projects in Kenya and beyond.” She said.

The County Executive informed the KEFRI visiting team that Governor Lomorukai had prioritized plans to mitigate against effects of climate change, with a focus on the protection of indigenous forests and the rich local biodiversity, through investments in smart agriculture and multi-purpose water infrastructure installations.

On his part, the KEFRI’s Regional Director, Dr Langat affirmed the commitment of the state agency towards furthering more partnerships with the County Government.

Dr. Langat reported that the MoU had been crafted to allow research to be conducted on different tree species and the establishment of the one that best fits Turkanas’ climatic conditions.

He added the organization is sufficiently experienced since its formation in the 1980s. He described the urge to commence operations in Turkana as a strategy for expanding the wealth of experience.

The visit comes at a time when Turkana is facing the challenge posed by the invasive species Prosophis Juliflora, which is invading the land meant for pastoralism and agriculture.

The Regional Director was accompanied by the Assistant Director for the Turkana sub-region Centre Patrick Mwirigi.

County Directors present included Phoebe Ekali (Environment), George Emase Lodungo (Climate Change ), and Pauline Pusiye (D/Diector for Natural Resources).