Lodwar- September 26, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The Project Steering Committee, under the Department of Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Fisheries, held a consultative meeting to outline priority areas for the Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP) for the Financial Year 2025/2026.
The priority areas included plan to carry out Participatory Integrated Community Development in five wards, capacity building of community institutions, establishing County Irrigation Development Unit, conducting capacity needs assessment for savings and credit cooperatives and farmer producer organizations and finally to develop value chain strategies.
The announcement followed a meeting where the committee reviewed and approved the budget to ensure efficient utilization of the resources allocated.
The meeting served as a platform to discuss the closeout report of the Emergency Locust Response Project (ELRP), the current status of the FSRP, and its annual work plan and budget.
The FSRP has secured a funding commitment of Sh70 million from the World Bank, with an additional Sh10 million as a matching grant from the County Government of Turkana.
David Maraka, the Chief Officer for Agriculture and Land Reclamation, praised the FSRP technical team for the dedication in improving food security for Turkana residents.
“This project reflects the county’s commitment to addressing food security through the Department of Agriculture in the region,” Maraka stated.
The County Project Coordinator for FSRP, Victor Lochee, highlighted the successful implementation of the previous ELR Project, which was recognized nationally by the World Bank.
“Turkana County Government was awarded third best nationally for the effective implementation of the 2020-2025 Emergency Locust Response Project,” Lochee noted.
He emphasized that the ongoing 2024-2029 FSRP aims to build on the foundation laid by the ELRP, enhancing preparedness against food insecurity and strengthening food system resilience in targeted areas across Kenya.
Thomas Siele (Deputy County Commissioner, Turkana Central), Evans Lomodei (CCO Fisheries and Aquaculture), Joseph Epuu (CCO, Gender and Youth Affairs), and Directors; Dr Benson Long’or (Veterinary Services), Aaron Nanok (Director,Agriculture), Richard Lokoyan (Irrigation and Land Reclamation), Bobby Ekadon (Livestock Production), Edward Wawire (NEMA), and KNCCI representative Edward Okumu were present.
