In Summary
- According to Kivaa Ward representative Justus Kiteng’u, the swarm crossed over from Embu County.
- He said he notified the county government which mobilised a team to the site.
The swarm of locusts which had first invaded parts of Northeastern Kenya has now reached Masinga in Machakos County.
On Monday evening, the first swarm landed in Kivaa Ward, spreading fear and panic among residents who have had a bumper harvest this season and whose crops are still in the fields.
According to Kivaa Ward representative Justus Kiteng’u, the swarm crossed over from Embu County.
He said he notified the county government which mobilised a team to the site.
Agriculture County Executive Urbanus Wambua said that the Kenya plant protection services and the local government visited the affected area early Tuesday morning.
“We had our team visit Masinga area where the locusts had been reported last evening. At around 11 a.m. on Tuesday the exercise of spraying had started and we expect to give full report by the end of the day,” he said.
The devolved unit has been on high alert after the Ministry of Agriculture last week set up a surveillance team that has been monitoring the locusts’ movement.
Mr Wambua also urged farmers not to panic as they have it under control.
The county says it has dispatched three vehicles to the border of Kitui for surveillance and monitoring in Masinga and Yatta.
CAUTION OVER PESTICIDES
Residents including Environmentalist Dr John Musingi and University of Nairobi’s Dr Jonathan Nzuma urged caution with regard to spraying the insects.
They said the insecticides used should be safe and not adversely affect the environment and livelihoods of the residents.
“Let us have our experts investigate the effect of those insecticides on humans, environment, and wildlife. The government is currently using fenitrothion, Malathion for control,” said Dr Nzuma.
Dr Musingi suggested the government should instead use nets to catch the insects when they are resting at night.
Non-governmental organisations have also voiced concerns about the use of chemical sprays to control the locusts.
In a statement issued by Route to Food Initiative (RTFI), the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA-K), Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) and Resources Oriented Development Initiatives (RODI Kenya) on Monday, the organisations called for use of ‘less toxic’ pesticides.
“Although some of the government interventions to the invasion have been commendable, our position is that they should use the least toxic pesticides to deal with the issue and that people living in the treated areas should be alerted to take precautions to avoid adverse after-effects on human health and the environment at large,” said the organisations in a statement.
The team is behind a petition in Parliament to demand withdrawal harmful toxic pesticides from the Kenyan market.
The petition is currently before the National Committee on Health.
Credit: Source link