The 13th edition of the annual Loiyangalani cultural festival kicked off on Wednesday at the Loiyangalani Cultural Center.
The weeklong event under the theme of promoting cultural diversity will enable participants to showcase their unique cultural heritage and practices.
That will be depicted in the form of traditional dances, narratives, plays, food, and oral tradition.
Senate speaker Amason Kingi officially opened the festival which has attracted thousands of visitors.
Kingi urged residents to embrace and take pride in their diverse cultures and heritage.
"We need to think of our culture. Culture is a way of life that should be preserved and youth shouldn't be ashamed of their culture," he said
The speaker noted the critical role of the cultural festival in preserving the culture and commended Governor Mohamud Ali for the return of the annual cultural festival saying it brings communities together.
The festival had not been held in the last three years because of Covid-19.
Kingi said such a festival promotes peaceful coexistence among the communities living in the county.
The annual festival has been part and parcel of the community's celebration over the years and safeguards traditions and practices.
President William Ruto is expected to grace the event.
Marsabit Governor Mohamud Ali said the annual event is geared towards empowering and creating awareness about various art forms and cultural heritage.
"The festival promotes intercultural understanding and showcases various community's rich and diverse cultural expressions that need to be preserved for posterity," said Governor Ali.
He said the event presents a perfect opportunity for domestic and international tourists to celebrate the diversity of the local cultures.
"This event promotes diversity and understanding by bringing together different cultures and communities and creating opportunities for people to learn about and appreciate diversity," he added.
Deputy Governor Solomon Gubo on his part said the cultural festival provides an opportunity to highlight the positive elements of the diverse community's cultures and traditions.
He said the festival has lived up to its promise of promoting unity among pastoralist communities by giving them an opportunity to showcase and celebrate their shared culture.
Mandera Senator Ali Roba during his address appealed to the national government to release emergency funds to address the severe impact of the ongoing El Nino rains.
While describing the situation especially in Northern Kenya as dire, the senator highlighted that the heavy downpour had resulted in the loss of lives and made roads impassable.
He said unless the national government releases the funds, the county alone can't mitigate the effects of el-nino rains.
While echoing the senator's sentiment, Isiolo senator Fatuma Dhulo stressed the immediate intervention by the national government and expressed concern that if El Nino rains continue to persist, the road network in the county will be entirely severed.
Marsabit women representative Naomi Jillo Wako urged the pastoralist community to foster peaceful coexistence as they celebrate cultural festivals.
She called for an end to cattle rustling and urged security agencies to make sure that Marsabit County remains peaceful.
The participants of this year's Loiyangalani cultural festival were excited about the return of the festival saying the annual event protects the beautiful and diverse local cultures and traditions.
Lolkope Idinyi, a resident of Loiyangalani said the festival presents the perfect opportunity for domestic and international tourists to celebrate the diversity of local cultures.
He commended Governor Mohamud Ali's administration for being committed to promoting peace and cohesion through enhancing the annual cultural festival.
Safi Mohamed from Loiyangalani said the revival of the festival will give different communities a chance to promote their culture.
Youth leader Lemurje Lepelo urged community elders to initiate the young generation into their culture by involving them in their activities, saying the involvement of young people will be a smooth transition when they exit the stage.
"Involvement of younger generation into cultural activities will promote and preserve our culture. The culture cannot be preserved for future generations without involving youth," he said
Maria Lepati, Loiyangalani business lady, said the annual cultural festival plays a huge role in opening up the Marsabit tourist sector, and economic activities and promoting diversity.
She called for a concerted effort to promote rich culture through social media to attract young people.
