Stakeholders Come Together in Bid to Address Effects of Climate Change

curity, frequent disease outbreaks for both humans and livestock, high temperatures, persistent droughts, floods, loss of livestock and increased poverty levels.

Stakeholders in Baringo Country and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties come together to initiate development projects geared towards addressing effects of Climate Change.

The projects targets to build resilience among communities destabilised by the ailing mother nature.

Deliberations were reached upon during a four day Workshop held at Lake Bogoria Spar Resort in Baringo South sub county facilitated by County government in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Various stakeholders raised concern over the challenges faced by communities such as food inse-

While officially opening the workshop, Baringo County Governor H.E Benjamin Cheboi, EGH EBS insisted that there was need to enhance partnership and supportive linkages with all stakeholders in order to provide sustainable solutions to the nature related challenges facing communities particularly those living along the forests, catchment areas and other special environment zones.

Governor Cheboi lauded WWF for supporting county govern- ment in developing Baringo Landscape Integrated Programme which will provide a coordination road map for established Baringo conservation bodies, stakeholders, partners and all actors to act on environmental conservation and mitigation measures especially drying up of water sources, address emerging issues of environmental conservation systems and promote climate responsive practices to ultimately improve human social welfare.

“As a County with two Ramsar Sites and an aspiring Geopark, we shall spare no effort to maintain the biodiversity of our land and impress upon our residents and all actors on the importance of conservation of key ecosystems within Baringo and the region at large” he explained. His Elgeiyo Marakwet counterpart H.E Wesley Rotich connoted him adding that the souring food prices is attributed to the effects of climate change since most parts of the Arid and Semi-Arid areas receive little rainfall which hardly sustain food crops.

He pointed out that even the issue of cattle rustling along Kerio Valley region particularly that happening on the borders is caused by conflicts arising from scramble for natural resources i.e water, pasture and land ownership.

Baringo County Deputy Governor H.E Eng. Felix Kimaiyo raised concern over the massive charcoal burning in the County warning that if action is not taken to stop it then it lead to deforestation and contribute immensely to global warming.

“Our major threat to environmental degradation is charcoal burning and illegal logging in an already fragile environment thus, as stakeholders, there is need to act decisively and stop these harmful human activities,” he cautioned.