The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), on Thursday, March 16, expressed interest in taking up land at the Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Scheme for agricultural purposes.
Clerics led by Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit requested to take up the land during a meeting with President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi.
According to a statement by Ruto, the church leaders conceived the initiative as part of their plans to support pastoralists with animal feeds for their livestock.
Ruto announced that ACK had committed to improving animal nutrition and making the pastoralist sector more sustainable.
Speaking in the meeting, the President lauded the plan as important, underscoring the necessity of improving the welfare of pastoral communities that have been in the past ravaged by drought and lack of pasture.
"This innovative idea will offer pastoralist communities feed security, improve animal nutrition and make the pastoralist sector more sustainable," the President announced.
“We commend the Anglican Church for expressing interest in using the Galana Kulalu Irrigation Scheme Development Project to grow animal feeds," he added.
In addition, the President challenged more players in the clergy to take up initiatives of national importance, such as tree planting and environmental conservation.
He lauded the Anglican Church, which he noted had planted over 2.5 million trees nationwide.
On the church's interest in taking up land for animal feed production, the President directed the State Departments of Livestock and Irrigation to work with the church and their partners in making their endeavour a success.
The announcement came two months after Ruto revoked the prior land allocation to the public for settlement in a process completed during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure.
In his statement, Ruto reiterated the need to preserve the land for food production in the country as part of the campaign for food security.
"After an extensive tour of the Galana Kulalu national food security project, the planned subdivision into settlement parcels is revoked," Ruto noted.
