News Categories: Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperative Development

To ensure the Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Development’s operations continue smoothly under Governor Stephen Sang’s renewed mandate, Dr. Kiplimo Araap Lagat, the CEC Member for Agriculture and Cooperative Development, has today presided over the taking over ceremony of newly appointed Agriculture and Cooperative Development Chief Officers, Dr. Paul Sanga and Ms. Caroline Lagat.

The handover ceremony was held at the Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Development and was attended by administrative officials from the County Secretary’s office, Chairman agriculture committee county assembly Hon. Julius Kipkosgei, as well as directors and staff from the Agriculture department.

Hand over of Responsibilities and Duties to the new Chief Officers.

Speaking during the handover/taking over ceremony, CECM Dr. Kiplimo Arap Lagat extensively highlighted on the importance of commitment, transparency and accountability in the management and implementation of open governance and ensuring efficiency of service delivery for the promotion and development of the agricultural sector in Nandi.

“As a department, we are committed to ensuring that our agricultural sector is well managed, and that all priorities are obliged. Our biggest mandate as a department is to implement policies and regulations. Our responsibility is to create effective sequence of strategies and proposed actions for the synchronization of the primary function of the department which is to promote and support the growth and development of the agricultural sector in Nandi, and it is our responsibility to implement them.”

Dr. Sanga expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve the people of Nandi County in his new role and pledged to work closely with all staff and stakeholders to ensure the success of the agriculture and cooperative development activities in the county.

Ag. Chief Officer, Dr. Samson Bitok hands over responsibilities and duties to Chief Officer Agriculture, Dr. Paul Sanga.

On her part, Chief Officer Cooperative Development, Ms Caroline Lagat reiterated the zeal to implement the department’s mission of open governance and efficient service delivery to the public engaged to agriculture and cooperative development.

Ag. Chief Officer, Dr. Samson Bitok hands over responsibilities and duties to Chief Officer Cooperative Development, Ms. Caroline Lagat.

The newly appointed officials are now expected to work closely with the public and all stakeholders to achieve the county’s goals and objectives towards a vibrant agricultural sector. #ContinuedTransformation

The County Government of Nandi through its Department of Agriculture and Cooperative Development is working to increase the coffee production in Nandi County and make it one of the leading, if not top, coffee-producing counties in Kenya. Some of the strategies earmarked by the Agriculture directorate include expanding production in suitable agroecological zones in the North and South Coffee Belts, which include specific regions with higher potential in the county.

Beginning this January, the department’s expansion efforts include mapping, registering, profiling and training farmers in preparation for increased production. It is also working closely with coffee researchers and farmers’ cooperatives to propagate over 2,000,000 coffee seedlings this year.

The Northern Coffee Belt includes Chepterwai, Kipkaren, Ndalat, Kabisaga, and Lelmokwo Ngechek wards, and the Southern Coffee Belt encompasses Ol’lessos, Kapchorwa, Tindiret, Songhor Soba, Kapsimotwo, Chemelil-Chemase, Koyo-Ndurio, Kobujoi Maraba, and Terik Wards.

In addition to coffee, the department is also supporting the development of high-yielding value chains such as dairy, avocado, and tea in the central belt. The central belt is made up of Kurgung Surungai, Kabiyet, Sang’alo Kebulonik, Chepkumia, Kapkangani, Kapsabet and Kilibwoni wards in Mosop and Emgwen Sub Counties.

It also includes Chemundu Kapng’etuny, Kosirai, Kaptel Kamoiywo, Kiptuya, Lessos, Nandi Hills and Kabwareng wards Chesumei,Nandi Hills & Aldai Sub Counties.

To further this goal, the CECM for Agriculture and Cooperative Development Dr. Kiplimo Araap Lagat made a visit to the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) to learn about new developments in the coffee industry and discuss potential collaborations with the management, led by Dr. Jane Cheserek. #ContinuedTransformation #DolaMashinani

The County Department of Agriculture & Cooperative Development on Monday held its first consultative and sensitization forum with Members of the County Assembly led by the County Speaker Hon. Cheruiyot Melly to; create awareness and assist the honorable members to best understand and appreciate the statuses of various ward-specific projects and ASDSP II programme, being implemented by the department in collaboration with other strategic development partners, across all 30 wards.

Facilitating the session, the Agriculture Sector Development Support Programme ASDSP II coordinator Mr Job Kosgei highlighted key achievements and shared areas of support needed by the project which supports four priority Value Chains namely, Cow Milk, Maize, Fish, and Indigenous Chicken.

Some of the notable milestones made by the project include the capacity building of farmers that led to the formation of the Nandi Dairy Cooperative Union (NDCU), a federation of over 40 primary Cooperatives, spearheading the implementation of Nandi Cooperative Creameries (NCC), the establishment of a fish hatchery in Songor-Soba Ward, Super-efficient Poultry hatchery in Kaimosi ATC among many more.

These, he noted, have led to increased income for farmers, improvement in food security, increased yields of priority Value Chains as well as the creation of on-farm and off-farm employment opportunities for women and youth.

Agriculture and Cooperative Development Executive Committee Member Dr Kiplimo Araap Lagat who moderated the session revealed that the forum made headways on the initiation and legislation of various bills including the Nutrition, Kaimosi ATC, and Cooperative Bills among others through the constructive consultative session.

Deputy Governor H.E. Dr Yulita Mitei Cheruiyot, who chaired the session, urged the departments and the county assembly to work as a team for the success of devolution in our beloved county. “We can work together and engage as one team and contribute to transforming the county and taking it to the next level,” said the DG.

In his remarks, the County speaker Hon. Melly hailed the consultative meeting as a milestone that must be organized on a regular basis in order to enhance service delivery through appropriate legislation and oversight. Sentiments that were loudly echoed by the assembly clerk who emphasized that both the Executive and the Legislature ought to work in tandem if the county needs to excel in the sector he described as the mainstay and backbone of the county’s economy.

In attendance was the entire house leadership led by the Deputy Speaker, leaders of both Majority and Minority parties, the Chief Whip, the chair of the Agriculture Committee and the honorable members. Also present was the CECM for Finance and Economic Planning Hon. Hillary Serem and representatives from Nutrition International and Agriculture Department. #ContinuedTransformation

Nandi Governor has appointed members of a Taskforce to conduct an extensive review on Multinational Tea Companies engagement in Tea Sub-sector in Nandi County. The taskforce will develop a tripartite report that will provide a roadmap to facilitate sustainable solutions and coexistence between multinationals, communities and all stakeholders involved with the tea sub-sector across the County.

The Members of the Taskforce are:

John Cheruiyot – Chairman

Rev. Elijah Yego

Dr. Bernard Kiplimo Lagat

Dr. Philemon Bureti

CPA Alfred Lagat

Steven Rotich

Dr. Ruth Choge

Wilson Kipkogei Lelmengit

The Secretariat:

Godfrey Sang

Kibet Gim Awi

Maureen Chepngetich

The national economic vision of the hustler economy has identified cooperative societies as socio-economic enterprises whose framework of operations is in line with the productivity and profitability model of bottom-up economics, that integrate harmonious bearings to low-income populations.

Cooperative societies have demonstrated this through their enterprise approach of pooling member resources to accommodate a low-income member with a cost-benefit platform through shared capital expenditure and sharing of risk while ensuring members’ autonomy and independence of ownership is maintained.

It is on this mandate, that the County Government of Nandi is committed to the process of finalizing policy and legislation interventions that reflect on the structure of cooperative contexts in Nandi aimed at enactment of a comprehensive Nandi County Cooperatives Development Policy and the first ever Nandi County Cooperatives Act.

These are legislative frameworks that will ensure every cooperative in Nandi has secured property rights, access to finance, and a supportive regulatory framework to actively participate in a more enabling environment stipulated on law.

On Thursday, the department of Agriculture and Cooperative development, in collaboration with global communities legislative consultants had a physical meet up to continue on the analysis of the operational legal contexts of the various cooperative activities in Nandi and build on legislative interventions that speak to Nandi cooperative interests and concepts in a way that gives legal effect to the strategic policies and legislation drafted, guided by the national cooperative law as framework to guide the regulatory reform.

Technical team in session.

Open governance and effective service delivery form the major principles that the team is basing on to ensure a robust, supportive legal backbone for a much anticipated vibrant Nandi cooperative movement.

Director Cooperative Development, Mr. Stalin Koech

          Review in Progress|Photo

In view of this, and with the governance role of the County Government of Nandi, the department of Agriculture and Co-operative Development has developed a FIRST, NANDI COUNTY COOPERATIVES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DOCUMENT, as an action framework to address the processes, applicable policies, laws, regulations and ethical standards that will guide and support the cooperative societies to account for, monitor, identify, develop, and make these key decisions in an enforceable way within a changing environment.

This comes after evaluation by the department, that there is need to address management gaps within our cooperative societies, brought about by challenges in transitioning existing solutions to meet the interpretations of the newness of emerging issues and on translating the requirements amidst resource, politics and mental models that might block progress.

Such is that, on Thursday, the directorate of Cooperatives led by the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Agriculture and Cooperative Development, Dr. Kiplimo Araap Lagat and Chief Officer Cooperative Development Dr. Benadatte Tiony, in partnership with Global communities, conducted a review of the developed policy document, purposively towards accreditation.

The policy document goes on length to address institutional management issues of identity, transitions, and reforms, service to the public in privatization, partnerships, and compliance.

The review exercise is the final step in recognition and accreditation of the first ever NANDI COUNTY COOPERATIVES DEVELOPMENT POLICY 2021, which was developed under the development transformative agenda of His Excellency Governor Stephen Sang, of revitalizing the cooperative sector, as spelt out in the Nandi County Integrated Development Plan 2018.

#ContinuedTransformation