Farmers of Antuambui village in Igembe County are a worried lot following the invasion of their farms by a herd of camels.
Already, the farmers are counting losses after camels grazed by herders, destroyed their bean crops. The animals are not sparing the bean crop. Efforts to confront the herders using catapults have resulted in threats.
The farmers warned that they are likely to face famine was unless the herders were arrested.
“Camels ate crops that I had planted. I planted 180kg of beans on a two-acre plot of land, and when the seedlings sprouted, the camels left less than half a kg of beans to harvest.
“When I confronted the herders, they threatened me. I avoided them because I was afraid they were armed.
“When they see us, they chase the camels out of the shamba, only to bring them back after we’ve gone,” a farmer told Baite TV.
“We request that the MCA, OCS, DCC, and DC intervene because we used all of our savings to plant despite the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic. We’ve left with nothing to sow,” another farmer, Mr. Muriithi said.
“The agriculture sector is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, which is devolved to county governments. We are pleading with the county government, the MCA, the MP, and the governor to intervene because we are on the verge of a food crisis.
“We purchased land in the hopes that it would benefit us, but it appears that it was for the benefit of others,” another farmer, Mr Stanley said.
