The County Assembly of Trans Nzoia has signed a memorandum of Understanding with the National Research Fund (NRF) to help in promoting agriculture.
Assembly Speaker Andrew Wanyonyi, NRF board of directors Chairman Prof. Ratemo Michieka and Chief Executive Officer Dickson Andala signed the agreement at the assembly on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Addressing the media afterwards, Prof. Ratemo the corporation would immediately release Ksh5 million to empower the assembly’s agriculture committee and the staff in capacity building. This will contribute to the improvement of agriculture in the County.
He said the fund will also help in conducting research in agricultural activities including soil testing and identification of the most effective seeds and fertilizers that can produce higher yields.
“Identifying the right fertilizer to increase food productivity requires extensive research on the acidity of the soil,” Ratemo said.
Capacity building
Further, under the partnership, National Research Fund will work with the assembly and Trans Nzoia County Government for the next five years in order to fund activities that need research.
Wanyonyi thanked the fund’s management for the grant and promised that it would be used prudently to build the capacity of personnel in order to make agriculture a lucrative venture.
He also said building the capacity of the relevant committee and personnel in the County Assembly will improve an oversight role by the assembly to the executive.
“Because the assembly’s role is to oversight the executive, there is a need that it has an equal capacity and knowledge to those in the sector they supervise to improve service delivery,” said Wanyonyi.
The new deal comes at a time Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya is putting more effort into the Agriculture sector in order to improve productivity, especially maize farming which has deteriorated.
Present during the event were area deputy clerk Colleta Kisaka, Agriculture Committee leadership representative Furaha Lusweti and Assembly’s head of Communications Joan Ng’etich.
