Drought, Land Issues Major Challenges to the People of Narok County

Narok county which has been named as the second best place to set up a business in the whole of East Africa supports Kenya’s economy in South-West part of the country along the Great Rift valley. Narok town stands as the major center of commerce in the county covering services, business and finance.

Though the county has been flourishing in its production of milk, wheat, barley, meat, potatoes, onions and several other products the people in the county faces a number of challenges;

For decades, Narok’s economic county has been controlled by Asians and non-Maasai communities who are the natives. The people in the county benefit less from the economic strongholds of the county like farming, and tourism. This has led to low growth of the local economy.

Land issues and disputes have been a problem that has been experienced in the county for over five decades. If these issues surrounding ethnicity are not addressed they’ll continue to hamper the growth of the local economy and also causes a major security risk in the county.

Drought is a major challenge to the people of Narok County. The challenge is posed on agriculture which yields low products, lack of animal feeds, and drying up of the seasonal rivers. Drought greatly poses a risk on the economic growth of the county.

Lack of industries in the area has an impact on the farmers and harms the agricultural sector. Transportation of farm, produce to industries outside the county is expensive. Lack of county based industries yields to the farmer’s low returns and leads to the produce being bought at low prices.

Unemployment in the area is rampant just like in any other part of the country. Most people have no employment which is caused by low industrial investments in the area. With those who have acquired high education qualifications, there are less and no major job exploration areas in the county.

Lack of market to sell farm produce is a major challenge to the people of Narok County. This forces them to sell their produce to brokers at throw-away prices. The high costs of production, harvesting and transportation, along with a lack of reliable markets have posed as their major challenges.

Lack of storage facilities in the area is a challenge that most wheat farmers experience. Hence, they need to pay in order to store their produce in the major storage facilities in the area which is costly.

If these challenges are addressed and solved, then there’s nothing that hold back the economic boom that Narok County holds. This will not only help grow the local Narok economy but that of the whole country as well.

Related: Lucrative Investment Opportunities in Narok County

Written by Amina Martha.