The County Government of Elgeyo Marakwet has secured a partnership with an Indian Investor to sink boreholes in Rimoi National Park.
The investor, Bugs Galot, held discussions with County Tourism, Trade and Cooperatives officials at the Treasury Building in Iten on Monday, January 30, 2023.
According to the Tourism County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Robert Kangogo who chaired the meeting, the initiative is a great idea whose implementation, upon completion will not only provide water to the rural community around the reserve but also wildlife.
The investor is keen on environmental conservation in water catchments and will also help in tree planting activities as well as irrigation and establishing a Fire station that will be helpful in containing wildfires.
According to Galot, his agency, Lal Galot and Nisha Manilal foundation, has also helped Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in the management of Fires in Tsavo, Meru, Aberdares and Lake Nakuru.
Present in the meeting included Director Cooperatives Silas Kiplagat and County Chief Warden Susan Cheboi.
Conservation reserve
The Rimoi National Park is an animal conservation reserve that sits on an area covering 66 km2. It is protected by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Further, the park lies adjacent to Lake Kamnarock which has recently dried up and is part of a conservation area that is five larger than its size.
Traditionally the only large mammals in Rimoi and Kamnarok were elephants, which wander in and out and up and down the valley at will, in accordance with the availability of water and food.
The elephants feed mainly at night. Smaller mammals include dik-dik, impala, bush pig, warthog, monkeys, civets, genet, and pangolin. Reptiles include; crocodiles, Agama and other lizards, as well as tortoises and many snakes. The reserve is currently being fenced (with a corridor being left for the elephants).
The reserve had however been neglected for many years, until April 2015 when the Elgeyo Marakwet County Government and the Kenya Wildlife Service collaborated in rehabilitating the reserve.
