With the long rains season, which normally starts in April, expected to resume, many farmers who had prepared their land in Uasin Gishu County have planted maize, the remaining few are in the final processes to ensure they are not left behind.
Since January, hundreds of these farmers from different wards flocked to the National and Cereals Board and the Kenya Seed Company depots in Eldoret to buy subsidized fertilizer and maize seeds.
In his manifesto, Governor Dr Jonathan Bii, under pillar number six, focuses on infrastructure development and substantial investment that has the potential to generate significant economic benefits that extend to local and rural populations who heavily rely on agriculture for subsistence.
While in the queues as they awaited to collect their farm inputs, farmers gave their accounts on the state of road infrastructure, applauding Governor Bii for supporting the rehabilitation, particularly the rural road network which they say has helped reduce the cost and time to access economic opportunities and social services, and also providing missing links across the entire county.
Uasin Gishu farmers enjoying benefits of good roads
Farmers who included Emanuel Saina from Kosachei village in Tapsagoi, Mathew Koech Kosgey from Chebororwa, Michael Maiyo and Jack Kimunye from Kiplombe, Franklin Kosgey from Kapseret and Hosea Kemboi from Karuna Meibeki said tremendous progress to have adequate infrastructure has been made in areas where they come from.
“I don’t have any problem delivering this input to my farm. Roads in our area were rehabilitated. We now have efficient transportation infrastructure, and we are very grateful to the county for that,” said Saina.
“In my area, the situation is okay, and I understand that the roads will help us access markets for better prices after harvesting, Besides, the infrastructure development by the county will enhance food security in the country,” another farmer, Eliud Ng’etich from Ziwa, said.
However, Hosea Kemboi, a farmer from Meibeki, appealed to the county leadership to support them get connected to electricity in areas such as Seretio, Sugut, Kaprong and Litei, which are located at the border of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties.
