My name is Eunice Edwina Karuja, a 24-year-old revenue collector from Kuri Kuri, North Laikipia, Kenya. My day to day life is characterized by relatively long distances of about 15km to Kopio seasonal river in Dol Dol, my timely acquisition of clean water is dependent on the elephant routine, they are usually first priority due to their commanding physical presence. I have on several occasions waited for elephants to drink water before drawing water from the river, the whooshing water always beckons the animals, with their sharp sense of hearing. The precious river that sustains our fragile existence is highly threatened by the increased uncontrolled sand harvesting and continued risk of sharing a water source with elephants, the ravaging droughts facing the country pose an even bigger threat
Sand harvesting, and the absence of a corresponding policy to reduce its harvesting compounds the already glaring effects of the extended drought in Laikipia North, Pastoralists and Farmers alike have been left struggling for the remaining scarce resource. Traditionally, this has been the main cause of conflicts, this will only be escalated with the current unpredictable weather patterns which in principle makes our traditional way of life that’s already facing the strains of drought and climate change even harder. Grazing land is disappearing. Wells are drying up. Plants that survived years of drought are now withering. Herds of livestock are dying. The changes have altered basic life here, sparking a routine exodus of herders from the dry, dusty plains of laikipia to the usually heavily guarded conservancies, sparking conflicts as a result of the competing needs for relatively two different interests, agriculture and livestock.
I and my family are striving to continue our traditional nomadic way of life. As I grow older I find it more difficult to deal with all the trouble and I am afraid that soon we like many others might be the worst hit victims of water scarcity that has wrecked the country in recent months. The Watershed Program through KWAHO have so far offered relentless support and I in due course hope for better days
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