Nadoto, Turkana Central January 30th, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The national strategy and action plan for control of prosopis and the the National Commercial Forestry Strategy 2025-2035 were today unveiled at Nadoto, Kerio Delta ward, Turkana Central.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Deborah Barasa led the launch in an event attended by CS Beatrice Askul the cabinet Secretary for East Africa Regional Development and ASALs, Dr. John Erus Deputy Governor Turkana among other leaders from the national and county Government.
Speaking at the launch, CS Barasa said that the prosopis control strategy has repositioned the invasive species from a climate threat to a climate smart resource capable of creating thousands of green jobs if scientifically and responsibly managed.
According to the CS, proper implementation of the strategy would open pathways for green jobs, regenerative ecosystem restoration and avail sustainable livelihood opportunities for residents in ASALs such as Turkana.
The CS also directed the Kenya Forestry Service to work closely with the County Government to ensure full implementation of the strategies through proper certification and structured production approaches.
While welcoming the two strategies designed to run for 10 years from 2025-2035, DG Erus cautioned that the success would depend on adoption of locally adaptable technologies.
“Sometimes nationally driven solutions risk failure if they do not reflect the realities of communities living with the invasive species. Locally informed initiatives such as Silo feeds that use natural products to produce animal feeds have succeeded for responding directly to community needs. This is the path all interventions ought to follow,” DG Erus explained.
Noting that what works for Turkana may not work for other counties, DG Erus urged implementors to borrow from successful local models already converting prosopis into income generating ventures.
Additionally, DG Erus acknowledged that the prosopis had invaded huge tracks of arable land across the county, hindering agriculture, food production and sometimes stifling investments.
During the launch, the Chief guest also planted trees and visited the model irrigation scheme at Nadoto.
