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nuadox · 4 years

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An important assessment of invasive plants in Kenya

- By CABI -

CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International) scientists have led the first assessment of naturalised, invasive and potentially invasive plant species present in Laikipia County, Kenya, which hosts the highest populations of endangered large mammals in the country.

The research led by Dr Arne Witt suggests that a range of invasive alien plants pose a series risk to the County – home to the second-highest number of endangered wildlife in East Africa including elephant, rhino, Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe and wild dogs.

Together with CABI colleagues Winnie Nunda and Tim Beale along with help from Dr Darren Kriticos of the University of Queensland, Australia, Dr Witt argues that without efforts to eradicate, contain, or control invasive plant species in Laikipia County many rare and iconic wildlife species may be lost.

As outlined in the journal Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science, the researchers strongly advocate the use of biological controls as cost effective, safe and environmentally sustainable ways to manage some of the invasive plants as part of an integrated management plan.

Broadscale roadside surveys were carried out in Laikipia County, to record all naturalised and invasive species. This data was supplemented by CLIMEX eco-climatic niche models of nine species that the scientists consider to pose the biggest threat to conservation initiatives in the East African region.

Widespread species in the County included Opuntia stricta, O. ficus-indica, Austrocylindropuntia subulata and other succulents. Of the 145 alien plant species recorded, 67 and 37 (including four species of uncertain origin) were considered to be already naturalised or invasive, respectively, and a further 41 species had been recorded as being naturalised or invasive outside of Laikipia. Most (141) of these species were introduced as ornamentals only or had uses in addition to being ornamentals, with the majority (77) having their origins in tropical America.

Based on the current eco-climatic conditions, most of Laikipia is unsuitable for Chromolaena odorata, marginally suitable for Mimosa pigra and Lantana camara, and a better climatic match, ranked from least to most favourable, for Tithonia diversifolia, Cryptostegia grandiflora, Parthenium hysterophorus, Prosopis juliflora, O. stricta, and Parkinsonia aculeata.

Dr Witt said, "The County is home to the second-highest abundance of wildlife in East Africa, after the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, and hosts the highest populations of endangered large mammals in Kenya.

"Alien plant invasions pose significant threats to conservation and livelihoods in Laikipia. As such, it would be prudent to develop and implement management strategies to reduce the threats of all invasive and potentially invasive plant species.

"It is imperative that all naturalised, invasive and potentially invasive plant species be removed from the grounds of all tourist facilities and possibly also villages that fall within areas where the main land-use practice is livestock production and conservation.

Diagram: Maps showing the distribution of nine of the most widespread invasive plant species in Laikipia County, Kenya. Credit: Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science.

"Those plants which have already escaped cultivation should be eradicated, if possible, or their further spread contained. Finally, biological control solutions for widespread and abundant species should be implemented wherever possible, as has been done for O. stricta and initiated for O. engelmannii."

Dr Witt added that there are many benefits to the use of biological controls including the fact that many agents establish self-perpetuating populations, often across the whole range of the target species, and most projects only require a one-off investment.

"There are a number of widespread and abundant invasive plant species in Laikipia that could be targeted for biological control," he said. "The cochineal Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) 'stricta' biotype (Dactylopiidae), recently introduced for the control of O. stricta, is already established in Laikipia. Species such as O. ficus-indica and O. monacantha have also been brought under good control through the introduction of cochineal in the last century."

Permission is currently being sought from the regulatory authorities to introduce another biotype of D. opuntiae for the control of O. engelmannii. Cereus jamacaru has also been brought under good biological control in South Africa, an option should this species become invasive, although populations are currently such that it can still be eradicated in Laikipia.

Source: CABI

Full study: “A preliminary assessment of the presence and distribution of invasive and potentially invasive alien plant species in Laikipia County, Kenya, a biodiversity hotspot”, Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science.

http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v62i1.1605

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#plants #agriculture #climate #climate change #ecology #environment

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erinoguzer-blog · 5 years

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Dear friends of Governors’, High season is right around the corner and we have been working tirelessly over the last few months to pull off an exciting array of new projects, upgrades and latest additions including a Cessna Grand Caravan, 5 Landcruisers (straight out of the showroom), 3 Landrovers that have been expertly modified into photographic safari vehicles, 8 brand new tents at Private Camp, 8 brand new family units at Governors’ Camp, 1 new balloon basket and 3 new balloon envelopes. Let’s not forget our northern Kenya property, Mugie House, which is coming along beautifully and will open its doors to our first guests by the end of the year! Rome was certainly not built in a day, but we do feel as though we have achieved something pretty miraculous here. We have a wonderful ‘cast of characters’ at Governors’, which includes an incredibly dedicated team that has made it all happen. Its been a race against time – lots of pressure, lots of fun and most of all – a huge sense of pride that we have managed to meet all the deadlines and ultimately, we can continue to offer a diverse set of experiences, designed to excite and inspire our valued guests. In keeping with all the new additions, we have welcomed back Will Fortescue as our resident photographer for the next four months over high season. He has just returned from a two week stay at our community-owned lodge in Rwanda, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, with the most stunning collection of images including the gorillas (as used in this newsletter), Golden Monkeys and our supported community and cultural projects. Please follow our social media pages (links are at the bottom of this newsletter) to see more of Will’s photography.

Wishing you all the best,

Governors’ Camp Collection

WHAT’S NEW AT GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION

Governors’ Aviation: In May we welcomed the latest addition to our fleet: a (new to us) Cessna Grand Caravan that made a five day journey all the way from Ohio, across the Atlantic and over to the Azores and then Egypt, before touching down on Kenyan soil at Wilson Airport. All paperwork and maintenance checks aside, we expect her to be up in the air in time for high season, over which we will be operating a total of four aircraft – all Cessna Grand Caravans – the best in the business!

Governors’ Camp Collection:

Photographic safari vehicles: all our Mara camps are set in the heart of the best wildlife viewing areas, amongst some of East Africa’s most spectacular scenery. It’s therefore no surprise, that we attract film crews from landmark series such as BBC Earth’s Dynasties and Animal Planet’s Big Cat Tales, as well as both professional and amateur photographers from all corners of the world. Attention like this from the world of film and photography enthusiasts can only mean one thing …. bring on the photographic safari vehicles! Specially modified to include same level seating throughout, cut out side panels in the middle row (can be closed over with canvas sheeting), high roofs and fully folding windscreens – features that were specifically recommended to us by our professional photographic safari guides. We have converted 3 refurbished Landrovers into a photographer’s dream!

Private Camp: the camp offering an exclusive taste of the Governors’ experience. We have really gone all out here and replaced the original eight dark green canvas tents with completely new beige tents which are higher, wider and have huge floor-to-roof windows, offering more space and air flow. Pretty touches include brass lamps in the bedroom units and in the bathrooms, as well as the addition of Kitengela’s recycled glassware which replaces plastic bottled water (this completes our whole collection of camps in being plastic water bottle free – hurrah!) We have kept the original wooden decking of each tent’s private verandah – the perfect place to sit back and enjoy the activities of the Mara River below you.

Governors’ Camp: we have replaced the previous 6 family units with 8 brand new family tents which have been beautifully crafted out of beige ripstop. They are one meter longer, and slightly wider and higher than the previous units. The windows are much bigger than before, allowing in more light. The bathrooms now feature double sinks, stone tile floors and ‘Lamu finish’ grey coloured walls, all in keeping with the natural and muted colours of the camp’s surroundings.

Governors’ Balloon Safaris: as pioneers of the Classic African Safari, it was only fitting that we should add hot air balloon flights to the collection, more than FORTY YEARS ago! Offering the most scenic flight path in the Masai Mara, we continue to be the top choice for this bucket-list experience, and so we receive a new basket and 3 new ‘envelopes’ (or ‘balloons’) in just a few days time! In other exciting news, our Mara guides are currently receiving further training, specifically in Ornithology, by bird expert Dave Richards. Not only has Dave been providing relief management across our camps and lodges since the early days, but he is also a professional safari guide, author and photographer, who has written a number of published books on travel and wildlife in Kenya and East Africa.

UPDATE ON GOVERNOR’S MUGIE HOUSE

Meanwhile, hard work continues up in Laikipia as the property comes together beautifully. Aside from the actual rebuild and renovations, there are many other ongoing developments such as ‘bush cookery’ training by Antonia Stogdale, Safari Chef and Founder of ‘Antonia’s Kitchen’. We have two chefs taking the course, David and Mungai, and as you can see there are all sorts of delicious and colourful preparations underway, as well as a home-grown vegetable garden which will allow us to supply only the freshest of ingredients!

GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION BLOGS – MASAI MARA GAME REPORT

Pastel sunrises have opened the days for the month of May, while rainfall has been quite scattered. There has been plenty of mating between the Marsh Pride lionesses, specifically Yaya and her adult daughters, Pamoja and Nusu Mkia, with some of the Marsh males; we are hoping for tiny cubs by about mid August which will clearly delight our high season guests. Serval cat sightings have been frequent as well as leopard and cheetah.

Loldia House: May 2019

Hot weather and little rain in May encouraged wildlife right into the Loldia House surrounds for the green grass and complimentary hay and molasses mixture we have been leaving out in the evenings. Night game drives are becoming more exciting than ever with the use of red filters on our car’s spotlights; May sightings included an aardvark! Thank you to two special guests who got involved in our community & conservation project.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge: May 2019

May was a mixed month of heavy rain and just a few sunny days. The lodge was full almost nightly and many friendships were made over gorilla talk by the fire in our cosy sitting room – it was truly heartwarming! The highlight of the month was the arrival of photographer Will Fortescue. We had the pleasure of his company for two weeks while he captured all aspects of the lodge including the community & cultural activities.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI – 2020 DATES RELEASED!!

Following the success of our photo safari hosted by Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE in green season this year, we are hosting two photo safaris in 2020! A renowned African wildlife photographer, Paul’s passion started as a photographer’s assistant many moons ago in London and developed into an obsession through the last 25 years living and working in Africa. He is a widely published wildlife photographer, with several coffee table books and exhibitions. Amongst the social enterprises he has been involved in, Paul is the founder of the world acclaimed Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, created in partnership with The Born Free Foundation, and receiving global coverage including BBC and Sky News. Dates: 23rd – 29th March and 6th – 12th June 2020. Each safari is limited to six places only!

Community Revenue Earned from Governors’ Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

Community Revenue Earned from Governors’ Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge Surpasses US$3.25 Million

Governors’ Camp’s Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Rwanda is a uniquely community-owned lodge, with revenue received by the surrounding SACOLA Community. In August, we reached an incredible milestone when revenue earned by the community surpassed $3.25 Million.

On 7th September, 2018 Rwanda celebrated Kwita Izina, the annual national celebration where new baby gorillas are named in an event attended by heads of state, world conservation figures, and celebrities. The loud and clear message throughout the week of celebrations is that in order to protect gorillas, you must look after communities. Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge’s revenue-sharing model has allowed a community of over 5000 households who live at the edge of Volcanoes National Park to benefit directly from gorilla tourism.

Opened officially in 2008 by President Paul Kagame, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is uniquely community-owned, the only such lodge in Rwanda. The Lodge was designed, built and is managed by Governors’ Camp, with revenue streams in the form of lease fees and levies from each guest stay going directly to the community.

Revenue from Sabyinyo Lodge is invested in socio-economic development projects, as determined by the SACOLA community through an elected board, that uplift the lives of the community members.

To date, some of the projects that have been achieved with the revenue stream from Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge include:

Connecting 5800 households to electricity

Construction of 65 classrooms in 6 schools, including two computer labs

Purchase of 40 acres of land to build Nyarubande School – one of the six schools

Donation 60 computers to 2 schools

Equipping schools with desks

Payment of school fees for children from the poorest families

Building of 40 houses for donation to survivors of the genocide, ex-poachers and the communities most vulnerable people. All houses are fully plumbed, electrified and provided fully furnished

The construction of two villages (34 houses) which house 126 formerly destitute farmers on the fringes of Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda who subsisted from the park. The village provides houses, water tanks and plots of land to people living close to the edge of the national park who are being resettled within the framework of the park extension project.

The construction and maintenance of 12 kms of local roads. Construction of bridges over waterways

Purchase of land to build a new technical school, aimed at upskilling members of the community with marketable skills

Donation of water tanks to community members for household water storage

Repair of damaged houses for community members

Provision of healthcare insurance for 7000 of the poorest community members

Construction of a health centre

Construction of piping and water collection points servicing over 10s of thousands of community members

The establishment and support of a local pig project.

The establishment and support of a local sheep project

Provision of capital to create a poultry business run by a coop of widows of the genocide

Ongoing support of livestock business with a SACOLA financed vet.

Financing of the construction of 2 SACCOS (community banks)

Initiating a one family one cow program which provides cows to poor people in the local community, with over 250 cows donated

Every guest staying at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is making a direct contribution to the uplifting of lives of the people living alongside the Volcanoes National Park, thus ensuring the future of Rwanda’s Mountain Gorillas.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

The post Governors’ Camp Collection – June 2019 Newsletter appeared first on Africa Adventure Company& Blog.

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nipashe411 · 5 years

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How counties spent billions on State projects

County governments Monday accused the National Treasury of generating erroneous documents that misrepresent their spending, as four more cases of “bizarre” allocations and spending came to light. The Auditor General’s report has exposed Kakamega, Kitui, Nyeri and Kirinyaga counties for spending hundreds of millions of shillings on functions over which they lack jurisdiction. ERRONEOUS Kakamega paid Sh115.6 million towards Kenya-South Sudan advisory services, while in Kitui, more than Sh120 million went to East Africa regional affairs. In Nyeri, Sh138 million was spent on railway development, Sh213 million on Government Chemist and Sh1.9 million on Free Primary Education; while in Laikipia, Sh344 million was spent on statistical information services. The four counties join Kiambu, whose governor Ferdinand Waititu was last week put on the spot by the Senate County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC) over the Sh2.1 billion audit query that includes questionable payments for functions performed by the national government. Nyeri’s Finance and Economic Planning Minister Robert Thuo said the reports generated from the Integrated Financial and Management System (IFMIS) were erroneous. “The county did not spend money on those items because they were never in the approved county budget. The documents in the audit report are IFMIS generated vote books which are a product of the universal programme used by National Treasury,” he said. Mr Thuo further noted that the county would not incur any cost without approval by the MCAs and the Controller of Budget. “Our financial statements do not show such expenditures. We only have access to these IFMIS generated documents at the close of the financial year,” he said. IFMIS-GENERATED According to Mr Thuo, the errors occurred when the county budget approved by the county assembly was uploaded in IFMIS Hyperion module which is used by the national government. Laikipia County executive in charge of Finance Murungi Ndai said the county had not spent Sh344 million on statistical informal services as indicated in the audit report. According to the report of Auditor General Edward Ouko for the 2017/18 financial year, Kiambu County made payments for co-ordination of State House functions, South Sudan Peace process, free primary education and a fund for retired presidents, among others. The functions are a preserve of the national government. In its report, Kakamega County allocated Sh173.6 million for Kenya-South Sudan advisory services, of which Sh115.6 million has since been paid; Sh75 million for co-ordination of State House functions, of which Sh29.3 million has been paid. The county’s head of communication attributed the bizarre vote heads to “anomalies generated by the system during preparation of the budget”, adding that the governor, Mr Wycliffe Oparanya, would issue a comprehensive statement on the matter today. Departments and Agencies was allocated Sh41.3 million, economic policy, national planning Sh14 million, and national statistical information services Sh190.5 million. Management of Kenyan missions abroad was allocated Sh9.7 million with Sh9.03 already paid, meteorological services Sh185.6 million, mining policy development Sh68.6 million, Coastline infrastructure Sh144 million. ADVISORY SERVICES Rail transport had a vote of Sh159 million with Sh128.1 million already paid, secondary education Sh21.1 million, curriculum development Sh61.4 million, examination and certification Sh98.5 million and university education Sh88.5 million. In Kitui, Sh77.6 million was allocated for East Africa Affairs and regional integration that has Sh63.7 million already paid, East Africa customs union Sh25.5 million, Sh23 million already paid, East Africa Community monetary union Sh52.1 million with Sh40 million paid. No money was allocated for community development, which falls under the county governments. Rail transport has Sh44.7 million with Sh43.2 million already paid, Free Primary Education Sh83.4 million and secondary education Sh435.1 million. Interestingly, nothing was allocated for Early Childhood Development Education despite the function being a preserve of the counties. State corporations advisory services was allocated Sh30.3 million, census and surveys Sh55.3 million with zero allocation to social development and children services Mining policy development another function of the national government was allocated Sh5.4 million. ZERO ALLOCATION Laikipia County had economic policy and national planning allocated Sh63.12 million out of which Sh54.6 million has already been paid. Nyeri has Sh182.7 million for rail transport, a function of the national government with Sh138.3 million already paid but zero allocation on health promotion, a fully devolved function. Government Chemist has Sh223.8 million with Sh213.6 million already paid, primary education Sh266.4 million, Sh213.6 million already paid, free primary education Sh2.1 million that has seen Sh1.2 million paid to date. However, the Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo said the items including those of Kiambu, were not in the budget plans that she approved for the county governments. “The budget allocations were not captured in the 2017/18 budget that was submitted to the Controller of Budget by Kiambu County,” Ms Odhiambo, through her office’s communications head Stephen Wangaji, said in respect of Kiambu County. She also noted that the items did not feature in the county’s 2017/18 Supplementary Budget: “The items also did not appear in their Quarterly Expenditure Reports submitted for that period. We would, therefore, like to state that the Controller of Budget is not aware of these items.” Read the full article

#Counties

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sailorrrvenus · 6 years

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My Quest to Photograph the Most Elusive Cat in Africa

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by stories of black panthers. For me, no animal is shrouded in more mystery, no animal more elusive, and no animal more beautiful. For many years they remained the stuff of dreams and of far-fetched stories told around the campfire at night. Nobody I knew had ever seen one in the wild and I never thought that I would either. But that didn’t stop me dreaming…

Then, a couple of years ago, photos started emerging of a black leopard in India. It was a cat that had made its territory in the tourist area of Kabini Forest in Karnataka. The leopard was hard to see but some persistent photographers managed to capture images of it that got my pulse racing.

Then, by chance, I was asked to speak at the Nature in Focus Festival in Bangalore last September. I took this opportunity to spend three days searching Kabini Forest for the famous cat. The festival organizers arranged for me to be guided by Giri Cavale, a photographer whose knack for finding the elusive black panther is legendary.

I didn’t have high hopes of seeing it in such a short period of time but as we explored the forest it was thrilling just to know the cat was out there. Then, on the second day, we managed to spot the black leopard crossing the road in front of us! It was far away but I was enthralled and managed to capture the image below. The lucky encounter ignited my imagination and I dreamed more than ever of finding and photographing one of these stunning cats in Africa.

I have never seen a high-quality image of a wild black leopard come out of Africa, even though stories of them being seen are sometimes told… “a friend of a friend saw a black leopard crossing the road early one morning”. By chance, around the time of my India trip, my friends James and Abigail from Ker & Downey told me one such story… that a black leopard had been seen up at Laikipia Wilderness Camp in Kenya. My ears pricked up and I contacted the owners Steve and Annabelle Carey to find out more. Steve confirmed that it was true and he had seen several black leopards over the years. That was enough for me and I decided to invest some time in checking it out.

On arrival in Laikipia, Steve took me to meet Luisa Ancilotto who lives close to the camp and had seen a black leopard recently. She told us as much as she knew about the leopard’s habits and territory. Then Steve managed to pick up some fresh leopard tracks nearby and followed them to a path that leopards seemed to be using. I deployed a plethora of camera traps each consisting of a Camtraptions wireless motion sensor, a high-quality DSLR camera and two or three flashes. I had high hopes of photographing a leopard, but would it be black?

The next day I eagerly checked the cameras but had no images of leopards. I was disheartened and suddenly felt the enormity of what I was trying to achieve. Surely I was not going to be lucky enough to actually photograph a melanistic African leopard?!

I left the cameras for several more nights. On returning, I checked them and by the time I got to the last camera, all I had seen were pictures of hyenas but no leopards. I had a quick look at the last trap, not expecting to find much. As I scrolled through the images on the back of the camera, I paused and peered at the photograph below in incomprehension… a pair of eyes surrounded by inky darkness… a black leopard! I couldn’t believe it and it took a few days before it sank in that I had achieved my dream.

Here is a short behind the scenes video that shows the camera trap set-up used to capture the image above.

youtube

Over the days that followed, I moved the camera traps around as I gained a deeper understanding of the leopard’s movements. The next hit I got was further down on the same game trail as the first capture. I love the way this cat melts out of the darkness!

Thereafter the black leopard disappeared and I started capturing images of a big spotty male instead — apparently he had chased away the younger black leopard. I have never been annoyed at capturing a spotty leopard on camera trap before! I suppose at least he was rather handsome…

The spotty male hung around for what felt like an age and I began to think that the black leopard might never return. During this time I checked my cameras daily and often had images of striped and spotted hyenas as well.

Then, on the night of the full moon, the black leopard reappeared and I captured the shot below as the moon was setting behind a ridge. Needless to say, I was thrilled that he was back and that I had captured such an atmospheric image.

In all the pictures I had taken, it was the leopard’s eyes that struck me first. I adjusted my lighting to darken as much of the background as possible. Just before I left, I managed to capture one last picture… eyes in the night…

As far as I know, these are the first high-quality camera trap photographs of a wild melanistic leopard ever taken in Africa. I can still scarcely believe that this project – which started out as a speculative recce trip – has paid such spectacular dividends!

P.S. A big thank you to Steve Carey from Laikipia Wilderness Camp and Luisa Ancilotto, without whom I never could have found and photographed the African black panther.

About the author: Will Burrard-Lucas is a British wildlife photographer. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Burrard-Lucas is best known for using remote-control cameras and camera traps to capture close-up images of wildlife. In 2013 he founded Camtraptions to turn his inventions for wildlife photography into products for other photographers and filmmakers. You see more photos by following @willbl on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. This blog post was originally published here.

source https://petapixel.com/2019/02/11/my-quest-to-photograph-the-most-elusive-cat-in-africa/

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pauldeckerus · 6 years

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My Quest to Photograph the Most Elusive Cat in Africa

Here is a short behind the scenes video that shows the camera trap set-up used to capture the image above.

youtube

P.S. A big thank you to Steve Carey from Laikipia Wilderness Camp and Luisa Ancilotto, without whom I never could have found and photographed the African black panther.

from Photography News https://petapixel.com/2019/02/11/my-quest-to-photograph-the-most-elusive-cat-in-africa/

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soniaaristo · 6 years

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Kenya: Unending Conflicts Cost Laikipia Billions in Missed Investment

[Nation] Perennial clashes in Laikipia County have resulted in billions of shillings in losses to investors denting the image of a region that boasts of many untapped investment opportunities.

source https://allafrica.com/stories/201812300035.html

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khalilhumam · 6 years

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Kenya: Unending Conflicts Cost Laikipia Billions in Missed Investment

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/feed-items/kenya-unending-conflicts-cost-laikipia-billions-in-missed-investment/

Kenya: Unending Conflicts Cost Laikipia Billions in Missed Investment

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tammarapeeples-blog · 7 years

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GMC Sierra All Of Hill Concept Conquers Uncharted Region At Vail Mountain Range.

Karakoram mountains are the most condensed collections from higher tops discovered on the planet. The word mountain has that beginning from the Latin phrase Montem and its own make use of may be dated back to the 13th century. There was actually no place to support but go down the mountain and right into the globe for Noah, his household, plus all of the pets that had goned on the ark. Your trainer will certainly show you the ropes, then you are actually cost-free to take down the mountain range and also enjoy this thrilling flight. It could be an extremely costly thing to buy mtb add-ons nevertheless this is still more affordable in comparison to acquiring a brand new bike. This helps conserve electricity and also strength, permitting a lot longer runs on the side from the hill. Schweitzer Hill Retreat (from $168;) possesses 113 ski-in/ski-out spaces in its base place (for point of view, Vail possesses greater than 600) as well as a freshly redone pool. And also certainly not just any kind of old hill: Mount Lycabettus is actually the highest possible optimal in Athens, evaluating every one of 272 metres from top to toe. They likewise defined being actually worked with through Blue Mountain after a laid-back sponsor and also screening process. Or even people misgauge the moment this will definitely require to escalate the hill and afterwards descend, and wind up investing a probably serious as well as undesirable evening on the mountain. Sometimes much younger people attempt to shy away from using a mountain bicycle headgear considering that they believe they could appear silly. That is actually completely needed that you remain in good condition, mentally and also physically, specifically when this comes to experience sport like hill cycling. U-Locks are actually fairly efficient at withstanding attack from screw cutter machines, yet are actually still sensibly very easy to bring about. The Mount Everest in north-eastern Nepal is the best hill in the whole globe. But he views no opposition: I have never ever comprehended that if I put sugar in to the water, I am actually a good male. The handlebars are designed to give the cyclist good hold and assistance when facing bumps or rocks along the road. A really good wife will be loyal and committed to her Husband: Relationship is a long-lasting commitment in between few. But a minimum of a lot of gold fallacies possess some reputation that might start as a rock loaded with pyrite (fool's gold) and turn into Sportonlineportal.Info a Mountain range from Gold as the misconception is actually fed via time. The whole entire process occurred in 3 significant uplifts or even hill structure stages and also the last uplift, the Laramide orogeny, is in charge of increasing the Rocky Hills. Having said that, the non experts one of us can easily schedule a half-day climbing up adventure up to some designated factor where our experts could have a breathtaking viewpoint of Laikipia and receive a feel of the mountain climate. That also possesses a handful of terrific locations where you could help make top secret exits and also possesses a few great mountain range developments. Mount Ragang possesses an elevation from 2,815 meters; only 9 gauges timid to the 6th highest mountain range in the country.

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africapedia-blog · 7 years

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In This Part Of Kenya 1.3 Million Endure Poverty, Now Worst Drought In Living Memory Pushes More To The Brink

EVEN at the best of times, the people of Turkana live on the edge. Almost all of the 1.3 million inhabitants of this arid county in northwest Kenya endure extreme poverty.

Malnutrition rates are among the highest in the country. Since much of the land here is unsuitable for agriculture, most of the population raises livestock, herding animals long distances to find good pasture and plentiful water.

These days, both resources are in catastrophically short supply. Long dry spells and occasional droughts have always been part of the rhythm of pastoralism here, but Turkana, like much of east Africa, is currently nine months into one of severest droughts in living memory.

In February, when 23 of the countrys 47 counties were affected, and after the number of food insecure people had more than doubled, from 1.3 million to 2.7 million, the Kenyan government declared a national drought emergency.

SITUATION IS WORSE

Since then, the situation has worsened considerably. The annual long rains, which usually fall between March and May, ended early. It was the third successive poor or failed rainy season.

By August the number of food insecure Kenyans those lacking access to food sufficient to live a healthy life had risen to 3.4 million. According to a flash appeal published in early September by OCHA, the UNs humanitarian aid coordination body, half a million Kenyans fall into the category of emergency food insecurity.

In Turkana, very critical rates of global acute malnutrition (one of the key indicators of humanitarian crises) of up to 37% or above have been recorded in some areas more than double the emergency threshold of 15%. This is largely a result of higher food prices and a reduction in milk and food supplies.

Turkana is the epicentre of the drought, Chris Ajele, director of the countys ministry of pastoral economy, told IRIN in late September in Lodwar, the county capital.

The drought has rendered some families destitute, he said. In Turkana, the economy revolves around pastoralism, he explained. People attain their daily requirements through the sale and consumption of livestock.

In arid counties like Turkana livestock usually accounts for some 80% of a household’s income through sales of animals and milk. Livestock also represents a considerable store of wealth: Many herders with few other possessions aside from a wooden stool, a knife, and some cooking utensils own 100 or more goats and sheep, each worth around $60. Camels are worth more than 10 times as much.

500,000 HEAD OF LIVESTOCK DEAD

We have lost about half a million head of livestock [in Turkana] mostly sheep and goats, as well as cattle and some camels, Ajele said. High rates of livestock death have also been recorded in the counties of Isiolo, Laikipia, Marsabit, and Samburu.

This is mainly because the animals don’t have enough to eat. According to a chart complied by the UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation, things are only going to get worse in the months to come: In the map for November 2017, almost the entire country is shaded red, indicating extreme vegetation deficit. Just last year, foraging conditions in most of the country were either normal or very good.

And the longer a drought lasts, especially when coupled with over-grazing, the greater the risk that subsequent growth and reproduction of the grasses eaten by livestock will be compromised. There is strong correlation between foraging conditions and levels of human malnutrition.

“Drought is a part of life for pastoralists, but whereas they used to happen every 10 years, now, because of climate change, the gap is narrowing and they are becoming unpredictable”, said Josephat Lotwel, who works on drought response in Turkana for the National Disaster Management Authority. The forecast is that this drought will continue, malnutrition will increase, and more animals will die.

PASTORALISM WILL BE FINISHED

All the pastoralists IRIN met in Turkana said most of their herds had perished as a result of the drought.

“200 of my goats died”, said Joseph Lopido at a livestock market in the small town of Kerio. “I used to be a man. Now I live like a dog because I am poor.”

Lopido said everyone in the community was affected because getting enough food to survive was a real problem.

“Some of my family eat wild fruit to survive and sometimes it can cause health problems”, he said. “The only thing that helps us is rain. When it rains, the grass grows and the goats graze. How can we survive without rain?”

Lopido had come to the market hoping to sell his two remaining goats, but the prices he was offered were so low he decided to hang on to them.

According to OCHA, average prices of livestock in Kenya have declined by up to 40%, and the combination of low household incomes and high staple food prices has significantly reduced the livestock-to-cereals terms of trade. In other words, goats, sheep, and cows are worth far less maize than they used to be.

On the road to Kerio, camel herder Ebei Lotubwa was trying to flag down cars, waving a yellow plastic cooking oil bottle cut off at the top to serve as a jug he was desperate for water.

“This is the worst drought. There is no grass. It did rain last month, but they were only showers”, he said, explaining that 16 of his camels animals renowned for their ability to survive for months without drinking had died during this drought.

“To find water for our animals, sometimes we have to walk for 30 kilometres. That’s why we beg water from passing cars. Not everyone stops.

“When there is no rain, we get no milk from the camels.”

Another herder, Peter Okapelo, said 100 of his sheep and goats had died, leaving him with 20. “The only way for me to get more is for them to breed. But if this drought continues, these 20 will also die. I don’t know what I will do then.”

Asked about the long-term future, he said: “I think pastoralism will be finished because of the droughts. All the animals are dying.”

CLIMATE CHANGE BITES

In the absence of prolonged drought, pastoralism generally makes better use of open rangeland environments, and delivers better food security than other agricultural systems. It delivers greater returns per hectare, for example, than ranches.

And while often dismissed as geographically isolated and economically peripheral, the African Union recognises that pastoralists supply very substantial numbers of livestock to domestic, regional and international markets and therefore, make crucial but often undervalued contributions to national and regional economies in Africa.

Pastoralists have long coped with even thrived on wide variations in temperature and rainfall, but they are extremely vulnerable to the harsher weather shocks brought about by climate change in three ways: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.

As a 2014 paper on pastoralism and climate change adaptation in northern Kenya explains, pastoralists are especially exposed to climate change because in east Africa it manifests itself in increasing temperatures and higher rainfall variability with both escalating the likelihood of more frequent and extended droughts.

According to a 2007 study by the International Panel on Climate Change, Kenya is warming at a rate roughly 1.5 times the global average.

Without water points like this, many more animals would die. (Photo/Fredrik Lerneryd/IRIN).

The papers authors add that Kenyan pastoralists are particularly sensitive because their livestock depends on the availability of water and pasture which is negatively affected by climate change.

And on the third vulnerability, the paper explains that while pastoralists have developed their adaptive knowledge and skills over centuries, their options for adaption and economic assets have been limited by political and socio-economic marginalisation.

According to Johnstone Moru, who advises the county government in Turkana on climate change on behalf of German consultancy firm Ambero, the colonial and successive governments [in Kenya] had no proper policies on the development of arid and semi-arid lands, including pastoralism.

The International Livestock Research Institute sums up the chronic plight of those who live in Kenyas drylands: “With a dearth of alternative productive livelihood strategies to pursue, scant risk management options to provide safety nets in the event of shock, diminished rangelands and increasing incidents of violent conflicts, these populations grow ever more vulnerable to the range of risks that afflict them.”

SAVING THE FUTURE

That’s not to say nothing at all has been done, or could be done in the future, to make pastoralism in Kenya more sustainable and resilient to climate change.

Cash transfers, an index-based insurance scheme, an off-take programme under which the government buys livestock in times of drought to give pastoralists a monetary lifeline as well as meat from the slaughtered animals, and efforts to diversify sources of income through the promotion of agro-pastoralism and the processing of animal by-products, are examples of recent investments.

But there are shortcomings to many of these initiatives: The feed stores where pastoralists are supposed to spend their insurance payouts to ensure their animals survival are often far away; the off-take programme generally pays less than potential market rates; land exploited for agriculture tends to be close to rivers, blocking traditional migration routes; and a tannery near Lodwar, conceived to boost pastoralists income through the production and marketing of leather goods and launched with some fanfare in April, was entirely dormant when IRIN visited in September, with no clear timetable for a resumption of its operations.

The adoption in Kenya of a new constitution in 2010 set in motion a process of political devolution and led to the creation of county governments, with the aim of improving services better suited to local needs.

Turkana County’s 2016-2020 Investment Plan sets out 16 areas for quick wins in scaling up the pastoralism sector. These include exporting live animals; setting up feeding ranches as well as meat and processing plants; building more tanneries; and developing bio-gas projects.

But the pastoralists IRIN spoke to were less than impressed. “Devolution hasn’t made any difference I can see”, said Lopido. “The local government has built some structures, but we don’t have any food in our stomachs.”

-IRIN

In This Part Of Kenya 1.3 Million Endure Poverty, Now Worst Drought In Living Memory Pushes More To The Brink was originally published on Africapedia

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erinoguzer-blog · 5 years

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Wishing you all the best,

Governors’ Camp Collection

WHAT’S NEW AT GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION

Governors’ Camp Collection:

UPDATE ON GOVERNOR’S MUGIE HOUSE

For those of you who don’t know, Mugie House is our latest addition to Governors’ Camp Collection – a luxury camp up north which will combine perfectly with the rest of our property portfolio. We expect to be open towards the end of the year, for any enquiries please CONTACT US. Most important to note here, first and foremost, is that there will be an applicable conservation fee of $100 per adult and $50 per child, per night, for guests staying at Governors’ Mugie House.

GOVERNORS’ CAMP COLLECTION BLOGS – MASAI MARA GAME REPORT

Loldia House: May 2019 Hot weather and little rain in May encouraged wildlife right into the Loldia House surrounds for the green grass and complimentary hay and molasses mixture we have been leaving out in the evenings. Night game drives are becoming more exciting than ever with the use of red filters on our car’sspotlights; May sightings included an aardvark! Thank you to two special guests who got involved in our com-munity & conservation projects.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge: May was a mixed month of heavy rain and just a few sunny days. The lodge was full almost nightly and many friendships were made over gorilla talk by the fire in our cosy sitting room-it was truly heartwarming! The highlight of the month was the arrivalof photographer Will Fortescue. We had the pleasure of his company for two weeks while he captured all aspects of the lodge includ-ing the community & cultural activities on offer..

PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI – 2020 DATES RELEASED!!

Community Revenue Earned from Governors’ Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

Community Revenue Earned from Governors’ Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge Surpasses US$3.25 Million

Revenue from Sabyinyo Lodge is invested in socio-economic development projects, as determined by the SACOLA community through an elected board, that uplift the lives of the community members.

To date, some of the projects that have been achieved with the revenue stream from Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge include:

Connecting 5800 households to electricity

Construction of 65 classrooms in 6 schools, including two computer labs

Purchase of 40 acres of land to build Nyarubande School – one of the six schools

Donation 60 computers to 2 schools

Equipping schools with desks

Payment of school fees for children from the poorest families

Building of 40 houses for donation to survivors of the genocide, ex-poachers and the communities most vulnerable people. All houses are fully plumbed, electrified and provided fully furnished

The construction and maintenance of 12 kms of local roads. Construction of bridges over waterways

Purchase of land to build a new technical school, aimed at upskilling members of the community with marketable skills

Donation of water tanks to community members for household water storage

Repair of damaged houses for community members

Provision of healthcare insurance for 7000 of the poorest community members

Construction of a health centre

Construction of piping and water collection points servicing over 10s of thousands of community members

The establishment and support of a local pig project.

The establishment and support of a local sheep project

Provision of capital to create a poultry business run by a coop of widows of the genocide

Ongoing support of livestock business with a SACOLA financed vet.

Financing of the construction of 2 SACCOS (community banks)

Initiating a one family one cow program which provides cows to poor people in the local community, with over 250 cows donated

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

The post Governors’s Camp Collection – June 2019 Newsletter appeared first on Africa Adventure Company& Blog.

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nipashe411 · 5 years

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Life hard for Kenyans in 13 counties after economy shrinks

More than 10 county economies shrunk despite the billions sunk into devolution, worsening the lives of populations in those devolved units. A detailed analysis of the Economic Survey 2019 released last week reveals that unlike the rest of the country, which has witnessed an economic boom, life for residents of 13 counties has taken a downturn. LIVING STANDARDS The data, broken down to an individual, in what is known as the Gross County Product (GCP), showed that the worst-performing devolved unit was John Nyagarama’s Nyamira County, whose GCP per capita at constant prices shrunk by 5.4 per cent between 2016 and 2017. GCP per capita is a measure of a county’s economic output shared equally among its population. It is an indicative measure of a county’s standard of living and is derived by dividing the county’s GCP by its total population. “Per capita GCP is a measure of a county’s economic output shared equally among its population. It is an indicative measure of a county’s standard of living and is derived by dividing a county’s GCP by its total population,” the survey explains in part. It means that if all the goods and services produced in the county were to be sold and shared equally among the residents of this county, then each would only receive Sh70,822 at the end of 2017. This is lower than the Sh74,846 they were worth the previous year. The second and third worst performing counties were Stephen Sang’s Nandi and Jackson Mandago’s Uasin Gishu. Nandi has one of the youngest governor’s in Kenya. The county’s GCP per capita declined from Sh63,331 per person to Sh60,229 — a 4.9 per cent drop. Residents of Uasin Gishu each had their GCP drop from Sh80,816 to Sh77,772. This is a 3.7 per cent decline over the period under review. Nandi and Uasin Gishu belong in the populous Rift Valley. EQUITY ISSUES To complete the list of the top five poorest performers is West Pokot and Laikipia counties where their GCP fell by 3.7 per cent and 3.3 per cent respectively. The other counties that had their GCP drop include Turkana (2.7 per cent), Samburu (2.7 per cent), Kajiado (2.1 per cent), Makueni (2.1 per cent) and Kericho (1.9 per cent). Makueni County’s Kivutha Kibwana has been a shining star among devolved units, but a drop in the GCP suggests that the initiatives are yet to trickle down to individual performance of each resident. Though the total performance of a county is not just a factor of devolution, a governor’s policies are expected to be felt in the economic growth of a county. Both the economic size and population drive this measure although this does not take into account distribution and equity issues across the county. Devolution was supposed to improve life at the grassroots. It was to be the answer to constant calls that Nairobi had lost touch with the rest of Kenya, and it needed to let devolved units drive this agenda. Counties have witnessed a steady increase in funds since devolution started with an initial allocation of Sh190 billion in 2013/2014 to Sh314 billion in the financial year 2017/2018. This translates to an increase of Sh124 billion over a six-year period. But counties have chosen different paths, with some like Makueni and Kitui investing heavily in manufacturing to jump-start their economies as others just watch. Overall, residents of Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kiambu counties had the biggest GCP’s given their access to the city and relatively better economies. The analysis shows that a resident in Nairobi has a GCP of Sh212,498, the best in the country, while in Mandera, their GCP is Sh28,602, the smallest. This means that the quality of life of a resident in Nairobi was 7.4 per cent better than their Mandera counterpart’s. RANKED HIRE The other top five counties by GCP are Mombasa (Sh168,448), Kiambu (Sh118,343), Nyandarua (Sh117,295) and Elgeyo Marakwet (Sh112,502). On the flip side, the smallest GCP’s besides Mandera are West Pokot (Sh38,021), Turkana (Sh38,592), Samburu (Sh44,147) and Busia (Sh44,186). This means that residents in these counties are the poorest. “Nyandarua and Elgeyo Marakwet were also ranked high largely by virtue of having sizeable GCP and comparatively smaller population,” the report notes. “Mandera followed by West Pokot and Turkana had the smallest real per capita GCP,” it adds. Mr Muthomi Njuki’s Tharaka-Nithi was the most improved in terms of the devolved units that did the most to lift the economic conditions of their population in one year. This is after the GCP per capita for residents in the county growing by 14.6 per cent between 2016 and 2017. The survey shows that a resident of the county was worth Sh75,998 in 2016, which grew to Sh87,106 in 2017. Mr Sospeter Ojaamong’s Busia was the second most improved county in the period under review. A resident of the county was worth Sh40,518 in 2016 and this rose to Sh44,186 in just a year, representing a 9 per cent jump. Other top performers were Migori, which grew by 8.6 per cent, Kitui (6.2 per cent), Lamu (5.7 per cent), Mombasa (5.6 per cent), Elgeyo-Marakwet (5.2 per cent), Bungoma (5.1 per cent), Nyandarua (5 per cent), Nyeri (4.9 per cent) and Embu (4.6 per cent). Read the full article

#economycountyeconomy

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