Njoro Youth Empowerment and Talent Support Community Based Organization has been launched with an aim to empower youths in Njoro Sub County of Nakuru County.

The CBO will see youths empowered through Entrepreneurship Programmes, Health (Mental), Environmental Conservation and Charity, Agribusiness, Educational, Civic education and talent support.

In an interview with this writer during the launch of the CBO at Njoro Park, Njoro Youth Empowerment and Talent Support CBO chairman Victor Korir revealed that over 30 youth groups are under the umbrella.

While lauding Njoro MP Charity Kathambi for the continued support, Korir noted that such will enable youths in Njoro Sub County to have a link to many opportunities.

“This CBO comprises over 30 registered youth groups and through the help of the office of Njoro MP we want to ensure all youths are empowered for a better society” said Korir.

According to the CBO’s chairman, there have been a lot of challenges facing youths in the country and such a CBO will go a long way in addressing the same.

The CBO, since its inception last year has seen crime rate in Njoro reduce as many youths who were engaging in criminal activities are now empowered to be productive

He called on youths in Njoro to come out and join the CBO in order to move together towards transformation.

“We felt this CBO will help us follow up on some challenges that youths have been facing. Even the issue of crime has been addressed as we try to empower youths” said Korir.

Njoro Constituency Office Manager Mr. Thomas Too, on his part reiterating the commitment of the area MP Charity Kathambi towards supporting youths.

Too noted that there has been a challenge when it comes to matters of youths registering groups as many are formed and after a month or so they become dormant.

He was however quick to point out that the new launched CBO umbrella will go a long way in addressing the same with the support from the Constituency office.

“We facilitated them to get registered and the CBO plays a big role in addressing crime. As an office we shall support them financially and also do them capacity building to the next level” said Too.

The goverment’ move to ban maize planting activities in Nessuit, Ndoswa and Marioshoni in Eastern Mau has elicited mixed reactions among locals.

Members of the Ogiek community living in the said areas have raised concerns over the move.

Addressing media in Nakuru on Thursday,the locals under the Ogiek community council of elders said the move is a threat to their rights to food security.

Led by John Sironga,they called on the goverment to log the ban as it means no good for the livelihoods.

The locals have differed with the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government that the move is aimed at securing the area and preventing reportedly rampant ethnic attacks.

Sironga said the move is only aimed at barring them from exercising their rights to access food.

They say instead of the ban,the goverment should use the security personnel in the area to wipe out criminal activities.

“We are in shock over a ban on the production of a crop.Our appeal to the goverment to come to our rescue and allow us to grow maize as we rely on the same for our livelihoods” said  Sironga.

Sentiments echoed by Sarah Osas who wondered why the goverment took such a move.

She said it was wrong to bar locals from planting in the name of insecurity.

According to Ms Osas,there are many security personnel who can ensure security even in the Maize plantations.

“Our cry as mothers who depend on maize farming is that the government can lift the ban to avert our suffering” she said.

Government through a public notice issued by the Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya, said the ban in Nessuit, Ndoswa and Marioshoni in Eastern Mau was a preventative measure to curb recurrent ethnic clashes.

Residents of Likia in Njoro sub County of Nakuru County are up in arms over what they term is illegal beaconing of their land by the government without their knowledge.

The locals who addressed the media at Likia Farm in the area on Friday wondered why there was demarcation and beaconing of their parcels of land.

They say that they bought the land way back in 1967 and currently they have the ownership rights as they have acquired land title deeds.

Led by John Kinyanjui, the locals said they are shocked with the ongoing exercise that is being carried out by unknown people.

Kinyanjui added that even the local administrators led by area Chiefs were not informed of the exercise.

According to the locals, the government should come out clear on the exercise and the motif behind the beaconing of peoples’ parcels of land that is far away from the forest land.

They have called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to step in and help address the land tussle in the area to avert any tension.

“As locals of Likia Farm we are in shock after we woke up to these beacons. We want the government and President to come and address this issue lest tension piles up here” said Kinyanjui.

Paul Ng’ang’a , one of the land owners in the area for many years, says those behind the beaconing process have gone beyond the forest boundary and now into people’s lands.

He faulted sections of the national government officials and Kenya Forest Service for going on with the process without involving members of the community.

Ng’ang’a maintains that they have been living in the area bordering Forest Reserve since the 1960s and now fear that the move will see them displaced.

He adds that their only hope is now with President Uhuru Kenyatta whose visit in the area will help clear the matter.

“There is tension because our sons are asking us why the beacons yet the land was bought. President Uhuru should visit and sort out this issue so that we can know where we belong” said Ng’ang’a.

Sentiments echoed by Pius Mburu, a senior resident in the area in charge of Likia Sub location.

Mburu admits that when they saw the new beacons they took the initiative to visit area Assistant County Commissioner to ascertain the truth of the matter but nothing came out as the ACC had no knowledge.

He says as locals they are irate with such a process that has not taken into consideration the views of the people.

“We want the truth to be known to the President so that he can come to our aid because this is our land that we bought using our own sweat” said Mburu.

Similar process of beaconing has taken place at Ndeffo farm in Njoro Sub County.

But Rift valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya in an earlier interview,assured locals that no one will be evicted despite a survey showing that they had invaded Forest land.

He was however quick to note that the areas in tussle will be re-gazetted and the boundaries formalized after the process being carried out by a multi-agency team.

“Let them be assured that no genuine individual who bought land in the area shall be evicted. There is a multi-agency team in the area and the Rongai DCC is part of the team to look at issues of boundaries” he said.