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Wrangles between Nyandarua, Laikipia derail soil testing lab

 

About half a kilometre from Nyahururu town lies structures that could have made up a significant facility for farmers from Nyandarua and Laikipia counties.

Shards of glass lie scattered in the compound, with livestock grazing and street boys sleeping in part of the building.

Inside the dirty, dusty building, sits disordered furniture, now home to rats and spiders.

The building was supposed to host a regional soil testing laboratory that was meant to help deliver timely and integrated fertiliser recommendations to smallholder farmers from the agriculturally rich region.

But the project was derailed by a long-standing property ownership wrangle between Laikipia and Nyandarua counties.
Four years ago, Nyandarua officials moved to refurbish the building.

Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries executive Dr James Kariitu said the building was formerly used as a veterinary clinic before it was abandoned.

After the offices were refurbished, Laikipia County workers stormed the building, broke padlocks, evicted Nyandarua staff and started using it as theirs, claiming that the latter had encroached on its property.

Laikipia officials also ordered a contractor who was putting up a perimeter wall to stop the work immediately.

Laikipia later rebranded the building as Smart Veterinary Services Providers and Kenya Veterinary Association.

Four years later, the building lies abandoned.

Locals say that abandoning the government buildings exposes them to vandalism and grabbing.

“Currently, a portion of the building’s land is used as a parking lot for sand harvesting lorries,” lamented Mr Ayub Nyoike, a resident of Nyahururu town.

Mr Joram Mathenge, a potato farmer from Shamata, said: “This facility could have been very vital to farmers from Nyandarua and Laikipia. Lack of a functional facility has hindered us from getting the necessary soil information to purchase the correct inputs to increase our yields.”

An abandoned building in Nyahururu town, Laikipia county that would have accommodated a regional soil testing laboratory 

Steve Njuguna | Nation Media Group

His sentiments were echoed by Ms Irene Njoki, a farmer from Marmanet, who noted that the two counties could have struck a deal on how best to use the building.

“Farmers in Laikipia continue to suffer huge losses due to low yields and low soil fertility. Our counterparts from Nyandarua are also suffering, yet this facility that would have benefited all of us has been abandoned,” Ms Njoki said.

“If the facility is in place we would get the knowledge and advice to improve our crop yields through building soil health and enhancing fertiliser management.”

Though Nyandarua officials relocated the soil testing lab to the Agricultural Training Centre in Ol Joro Orok, ward reps last week asked for a report on progress on the facility.

Former legislator John Mututho has called for a constitutional amendment to have health, agriculture and veterinary services revert to the national government.

Mr Mututho, who said he had noticed the abandoned building on his way to Nyahururu town, said that ordinary people could attest that no meaningful services have been rendered to them by those departments for the 10 years the services have been under the county government.

“This building is evidence [that] counties have neglected the agricultural sector. If you go through any other county across the country, you will realise how the devolved units have neglected the three services,” he said in Nyahururu town.

“It is time Kenyans owned up to some of the mistakes that were done when the new Constitution was being crafted and allowed for its amendment.”

The former Naivasha MP added: “Back in the 90s, when I was working with the government, this station (Nyahururu soil testing station) used to be the most respected station after KALRO in Naivasha. 

“Today all the structures here have been abandoned and are staring at the eyes of vandals and grabbers. We need to do something because the agriculture sector is on its deathbed across the country.”

He said Schedule Four of the Constitution should be changed so that health, agriculture and veterinary services can revert to the national government.

Schedule Four outlines the distribution of functions between the national government and counties.

Mr Mututho said Kenyans should allow a quick but non-politicised change to the Constitution to have those services returned to the national government so that they can be revitalised to where they were in the 1970s.   BY DAILY NATION   

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