Tana River,KENYA: Education in Tana River County is deteriorating as farmers from Bura irrigation scheme count losses of approximately 100 million shillings due to floods.
Speaking to Baraka FM on Monday, scheme chairman Mr. Joseph Mutisya said farmers in the Bura scheme are currently unable to raise funds to cater for fees to their children who are in universities and colleges after each farmer lost at least of sh. 65,000 which they expected after selling their produce.
According to him, the farmers struggled to procure agricultural inputs for their farms hoping to get more profit after selling their products but their hopes were dashed by the floods.
The chairman said that the lucky farmers harvested between 2 to 3 bags of maize adding that 5 villages in the schemes were seriously affected by the floods as they are situated along (lagga) Hiriman a seasonal river which occasionally bursts its banks whenever it floods.
The Bura Irrigation scheme leader said at least 1500 farmers were affected by the floods and he urged the county government to solve the matter out by giving them seeds, fertilizer, agro-medication and pesticides that would kill armyworms blamed on the destruction of the maize crop.
“Some of us got few bags of maize of between 2 to 3 bags but everything was swept away into the Tana River water. As I’m talking farmers cannot get fees for their university children even though those in secondary school already got some bursaries from the county government,” Mr. Mutisya said.
He added that the farmers’ families who relied on livestock farming had been further affected by the ongoing quarantine of livestock in the area and closure of slaughterhouses following an outbreak of Rift valley fever.
