Local guides, has given me a first hand experience of the challenges faced in the Baringo county of Kenya and the world at large.Being brought up in Baringo county (previously part of the great Rift valley province) in kenya, was a challenge.I grew up in a semi arid area where water for daily use was and still is a problem especially during the dry seasons when the rivers and wells wells dry up. We end up depending on relief food from the government and some people walk for long distances in search for water for their livestock.
Men are also included in the search for water, Normally, in our Tugen culture, the work of fetching water is preserved for women and girls alone but the acute water shortage in this area normally forces men to assist our women to fetch the water. Some don’t even attend work to assist in fetching water. Considering that communities in the Baringo county are pastrolists and therefore keep great herds of cattle, during the dry season lots of cattle are lost due to lack of pastures and water.
But Iam glad times are changing, right now, education is rampant among the people in the area and through education people have abandoned the traditional ways e.g. people no longer keep alot of cattle instead they keep a small amount that can be kept alive during the dry seasons, Communities in the area no longer practice pastrolism as a way of life instead some have ventured into irrigation farming, this has ensured a continuous flow of food in the dry seasons, All around, wells and dams are dug. Water shortage is no longer a problem but owing to recent climate change, weather patterns are no longer predictable, for instance farmers used to till their lands during the march long rains but that is no longer the case and if the irrigation plants dry up locals wont depend on farming anymore.
Local guides program has helped me air out issues that are facing locals and people all over the world from climate change experienced. For instance, the acute water shortage results in the shortage of milk in the area because the cows do not get sufficient water which helps in milk production and as a result, price of raw milk shoots up to about KSh 100 per litre from the normal 45 per litre.
Lives are also put at risk as per the climate change, due to death of livestock communities tend to raid each others herd so cattle rustling among some of locals is very high. During which lives are lost, women and children displaced during the clashes.
Anyway, the most interesting thing i have done as a local guide is that it has helped me embrace my culture and know the challenges that my community and other communities face and by learning of the challenges we face i look for ways to tackle them and one of these ways is by airing them out for everyone to see. Through pictures i take, people are able to be aware of the impact of climate change and even though they won’t have an on the ground experience, the awareness created is a positive impact.
sheeps and goats grazing in the Baringo Savannah during the rainy season
a local watering hole where locals fetch water and share it with cattle
a photo of Emining river the only permanent river in the area