| dc.description.abstract | Rural development has and still is a major
emphasis of the Kenya Government since attainment of
independence. Agricultural development is one way
in which the state has attempted to improve the livelihood
of Kenyans. This is because the majority of our
nationals reside in rural areas (Sessional Paper No.1,
1986)0 This trait is expected to continue into the
the next century.
Towards the end of the colonial period, due to
prevailing population pressure and low incomes in the
so called native areas where the indigenous people
resided, the then colonial government decided to
alleviate the problem by opening up the former white
highlands for African settlement. Hence, since 1960
people have moved from native areas into the former
scheduled areas to acquire land, settle cultivate and
raise their standards of living. Settlement schemes
were started by the state as institutions through which
people would be settled in the former scheduled areas.
From mid 1960s land buying companies were started by
the wananchi with very little involvement by the
central government The government encouraged wananchi
to form these institutions because it could not settle
everybody who wished to through state sponsored
settlement schemes,
This study attempts to point out some of the
problems facing the settled community taking a case
study of Njoro location where the above three categories
of settling people are represented.
The study found out that whereas the government
had full control of the settlement schemes, its control
in the land buying companies and co-operatives was
minimal. The result is that settlement schemes are
well planned and provided with infrastructural facilities
while the situation in the land buying company and
cooperative society farms is pathetic. In some cases
in the latter case, the number of shareholders exceeded
the land acreage, Hence, little or no land was set
aside for communal facilities, If there had been a
greater control by the state during the early stages of
planning such problems would have been avoided,
There is a tendency in all land buying companies
and co-operatives of selling off all farm machinery and
other assets when land is being sub-divided, This has
created more problems for the farmers in farm preparation,
Land preparation is being done late and this affects
yields tremendously. The study found out that there
is a change in the provision of infrastructural
facilities after the farms are sub-divided. Most of
the facilities existing before sub-division are either
- not there or are in disuse. In the government sponsored
Settlement schemes (hereafter referred to as schemes)
no provision was given for ensuring that farmers would
be assured of obtaining machinery on time. There was
an over-emphasis_ on community facilities and yet the
settled community would be agricultural in practice.
Land tenure is stable in the schemes but not in most
of the company and co-operative farms. In Company
and Co-operative farms some shareholders are not yet
sure whether the land they are settled on is theirs or
not. Such uncertainity has resulted in people~s
unwillingness to invest seriously in farming. In
some land buying companies and co-operatives the state
has withdrawn extension services as farmers are not
responsive because they are pre-occupied with solving
land disputes. In this respect therefore the settlement
schemes have an advantage over them. They receive the
best extension services because of stability of tenure
there. Other problems facing the community include
shortage of fuelwood, shortage of farm inputs especially
fertilizers, and seed, long distances to water points
which affect milk yields and inefficient A.I services.
The study therefore concludes that there is
need for a comprehensive approach in planning for
settlement. Even where people through their own
initiative create institutions for settlement there
is need for the state to have control especially in the
initial stages of planning. The study proposes that
co-operatives for managing machinery be created to
ensure adequate supply of the same after sub-division,
co-operatives be encouraged to own some assets even
after sub-division. In this respect, dividends should
not be the aim of such investments instead they could
be mortgaged and the funds so obtained be used to
provide services to shareholders e.g. water cattle dips,
etc. Agricultural Extension officers should have their
travel claims settled quickly otherwise they may loose
morale for working. Today claims take too long to be
settled and some are not settled at all. Wherever
possible a few farmers can be licensed by the Ministry
of Livestock Development to rear bulls to supplement
-A.l.services. Co-operative societies in collaboration
with the Department of Agro-forestry at Egerton College
and Forest Stations in the Division can supply seedlings
to the farmers. The societies can make arrangements
to collect seedlings and sell to the people, In this
way the farmers will be ascertained of wood-fuel in
future.
If the constraints facing the said community
are solved people could now start developing the area
which is now a home to most of them who have no land
in the former so called native areas where they
come from. | en_US |
