Lodwar – May 22, 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The County Government of Turkana through the Department of Livestock Development has received 5,000 bags of 50kgs each of supplementary livestock feeds donated by Concern World Wide.
Speaking during the flagging off event at Mifugo Complex, Dr Gilchrist Lokoel lauded the partnership between the County and Concern World Wide. He said this will go along way cushioning the vulnerable households which suffred as a result of adverse effects of climate change.
“Through this strategic partnership, The livestock feeds we have received today, will benefit 2,500 households within16 villages in Loima, Turkana Central, Turkana East and Turkana North. And this aligns well with Governor’s Food Security and Partnership Agenda,” he said.
CCO also took the opportunity to challenged senior management team in Livestock Development to consider in future to establish a livestock feed factory and fodder bank in Turkana. In such way, he argued, will be the only sustainable way to manage the cost related to procurement and transportation of such feeds and fodder in the region. And this would be easily availabke to the farmers.
The nine trucks loaded with feeds were flagged off to deliver the feeds to Turkana Central, Loima, Turkana East and Turkana North.
However, Livestock Chief, further warned against those households which will be found selling the feeds to traders, saying, serious action would be taken against them.
This comes barely two months after the Governor had launched 2,870 bags of livestock feeds to cushion pastoralists against the effects of drought and the climate change.
The Director of Livestock Production, Bobby Ekadon welcomed the donation by the Concern and noted the many projects the organization has supported in his Directorate.
On livestock feeds, he said, three villages in Loima, three in Turkana Central, six in Turkana North and four in Turkana East, would be each receiving 312 bags of feeds.
His counterpart, Benson Long’or acknowledged the support of Concern in the recent targeted vaccination and supportive treatment in Turkwel and Lobei/Kotaruk Wards, Loima Sub-county.
“With this current intervention, Concern has spent over Sh 21 million to support 2,500 households with livestock feeds to cushion them from effects of drought, with each household receiving 2 bags of 50kg targeting lactating animals. The households were selected through participatory community-based targeting which considered inclusivity and quality of impact,” said Natalina Lopeyok, the Program Manager of Concern World Wide, Lodwar Office.
In addition, she attributed the Concern’s support in vaccinating over 500,000 animals with supportive treatment since 2018 up to date to the mutual and seamless working relationship with County Government of Turkana.
Lopeyok noted that her organization has developed Animal Health Policy and Bill, the One-Health strategy, enhance farmer knowledge and skill on breed improvement, best practices in livestock husbandry. All these, she disclosed build on to the county government’s priorities on improving food and nutrition security for the Turkana Community.
In the future, the Program Manager revealed that they will continue working with County Government in collaboration with like-minded non-state actors to safeguard livelihoods, enhance resilience capacity of communities prone to vulnerable climatic conditions.
The Livestock Development staff witnessed the flagging off event.
