President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Andrew Kiplagat as the new chairman of the Kerio Valley Development Authority, replacing Jackson Kiptanui whose term ended in July.
Kiplagat will take charge of the board for three years during ongoing restructuring at the lead parastatal development agency in North Rift.
The appointment has been gazetted; it took effect on October 6. Kiplagat is an environmental planning and management lecturer at the University of Eldoret. He holds a spacial planning doctorate from the technical University of Dortmund, Germany.
He specialises in environmental planning and management, with emphasis on environmental management and livelihood development.
Kiptanui has said he plans to run for governor of Elgeyo Marakwet.
Two years ago, KVDA operations were paralysed by the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandals. President Uhuru Kenyatta scrapped the Sh22 billion Kimwarer Dam and dramatically scaled back the Arror Dam project.
Former CEO David Kimosop and top managers were arraigned alongside former Treasury CS Henry Rotich in connection with the dams' financing.
Sammy Naporos was then appointed to take charge as CEO. He has helped revive KVDA operations over two years. The agency now engages in various projects in North Rift counties.
KVDA is implementing projects worth more than Sh2 billion funded by the government and donors.
The authority has started drilling 11 boreholes costing 100 million for residents of Turkana North and Samburu North, both hit by drought and famine.
The boreholes will be completed in two months, Naporos said on Monday.
He said they will be part of a long-term solution to water shortage.
Naporos visited the area and said KVDA has been donating food to 700 households in Kaakea area and Kalang/Kaikor ward in Turkana North.
The donations include maize, bales of maize flour and cartons of milk. The support is also being given to Samburu families.
Naporos also said KVDA will revive Sh400 million stalled irrigation projects in Turkana and Samburu counties.
He said the recurrent drought had caused suffering to more than one million people and KVDA was partnering with counties to help.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
