Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura briefs media on February 8, 2024. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NMG
Pastoralists from Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) have reaped up to Sh1.6 billion in insurance payouts from...
a government-backed project that was unveiled in October 2022 to cushion them from loss of livelihoods due to adverse drought conditions.The De-Risking, Inclusion, and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economies (DRIVE) project was launched by the State Department for Livestock Development in conjunction with partners, including ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Company), Kenya Development Corporation (KDC) and the World Bank Group.
Read: Pastoralist communities venture into agribusiness
In an update on the state of the scheme on Thursday, Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura said the number of pastoralists and their dependents covered by the financial arrangement currently stands at 696,642 while the numbers of individual pastoralists and tropical livestock insured stand at 107,492 and 411,123 respectively.
“The government is keenly following up on the DRIVE project which is aimed at uplifting farmers’ welfare in 21 ASAL counties by cushioning the economies from drought risk, increasing financial inclusion of the pastoralists, and connecting them to the market,” said Mr Mwaura.
“An amount of Sh6,000 per beneficiary has been paid as an enrolment saving bonus, bringing the total bonus payout to Sh492.1 million. The project has also sought to empower the female gender as the percentage of women who own bank accounts increased from a baseline of 33 percent to 108 percent.”
Ohers are Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Samburu, Baringo, West Pokot, Narok, Kajiado, Makueni and Kitui.
Also read: Zep-Re to support livestock insurance
In the grand scheme of things, the project is set to run through 2027 and will also be seeking to facilitate livestock trade across the Horn of Africa (HOA) countries as well as upgrade livestock value chains by mobilising private investments.
→ kmwangi@ke.nationmedia.com
No comments :
Post a Comment