Drought mitigation efforts in Samburu county have received a boost of Ksh 9.1 million from the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT).

The donation comprises of 5pc of its proceeds from the sale of carbon credits in 2022 aimed at funding drought response activities such as provision of relief food and water trucking to the most affected regions of the county.

The donation was received by Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo, who lauded the move by the management of tNRT to respond to his appeal for corporate organisations, NGOs and other people of good will to lend a helping hand in an effort to ensure that not a single human being succumbs to the ravages of the current prolonged drought situation.

The Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project has helped the five conservancies which are Nasuulu, Nakuprat-Gotu, Biliqo-Bulesa, Oldonyiro and Leparua to generate a total of Kshs 36 Million each from the sale of carbon credits to the international voluntary market, with the management of each of the said conservancies setting aside 5pc of the funds to help in drought response activities.

Governor Guyo urged the people of Isiolo to embrace proper rangeland management practices such as controlled grazing patterns and tree planting, in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and at the same time generate more carbon credits for sale in the international voluntary market, with the proceeds directly benefiting the local population.

The CEO, Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) Tom Lalampaa said that the Carbon Project aims at removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and is very compatible with the pastoralist way of life, with herders being encouraged to embrace and strictly adhere to proper grazing patterns and plant as many trees as possible in order to achieve the goal.

The participating 14 community conservancies from Isiolo, Marsabit, Laikipia and Samburu will receive funds from the project annually for the next 20 years, money that they can use to carry out development projects and provide bursaries for learners in their respective areas.

Both Governor Guyo and Lalampaa agreed to prioritise the process of registration of community land in order to eliminate the threat of land grabbing and enable the respective pastoralist communities to own and invest in their land.