County Government of Laikipia

The County Government of Laikipia in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Laikipia Nature Conservancy (LNC) has initiated innovative and profitable relationships that blend conservation of nature, peace building and economic wellbeing of communities in Ol-Moran Ward.
State Department for Basic Education and the Laikipia Nature Conservancy have brought together twenty two (22) primary schools and eleven (11) secondary schools from Kirima Sub County to develop environmental curriculum teaching materials suitable for Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) implementation local schools.
The LNC has availed two consultants to help with the process.
The government is keen to align the CBC with environment and climate change education. Educational visits to national parks and nature parks are an integral part of CBC. LNC meets this need by opening up its wildlife education center to local schools said Mr. John Gichuki.
Mr. Gichuki is the Chief Officer for Education, Vocational Training and Library Services in Laikipia County.
Mr. Gichuki was the Guest of Honor at the closing ceremony after a two-day environmental curriculum development workshop at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy. He was accompanied by CO for Administration, Mr Mike Kemboi.
Ol-Moran Ward and Kirima Sub County in particular is climatically Arid and Semi-Arid whose major economic activities is livestock and subsistence crop agriculture, while the expansive Laikipia nature conservancy is into wildlife and nature conservation.
Cattle rustling and wildlife conflicts are a constant menace to peace with families, learners and teachers often being caught up in the disruptions.
In the ongoing partnership, teachers are identified as agents for peace as their job places them in a unique position interacting with communities on a daily basis, in addition to their peculiar care giver status in their concerns for the welfare and safety of the learners.
Among initiatives to reduce cyclic conflicts by the LNC involves distribution of avocado seedlings in an effort to diversify sources of income and reduce dependency on cattle keeping that is at the center of cattle rustling activities.
The County Government of Laikipia has rolled out a multi-pronged water supply and access improvement program involving desilting of sub-surface dams and water pans, drilling of boreholes at various public utility spaces including schools, distribution of rainwater harvesting and storage tanks and rehabilitation of old boreholes currently in disuse.
In addition to access to clean water , improved water supply is expected to support fruit seedlings, tree nurseries and demonstration farms in schools. The county government is deploying agricultural extension officers to assist schools set up proper nurseries. The successful ones can earn some income from selling seedlings to the community, the government and agencies, Mr Gichuki added.
Bee keeping and introduction of pig farming to willing farmers to replace cattle is among ideas floated to make Karima Sub County less attractive to cattle rustlers from neighboring counties, and more productive and peaceful for the locals.