The Government and nongovernmental organizations have been urged to empower women in pastoral areas with skills and knowledge to work their way out of abject poverty.
Many women in pastoralist communities are disadvantaged, living under difficult socio-economic conditions and marginalized in arid and semi-arid areas.
West Pokot County First lady Mrs. Josephine Kachapin called on the national and county government to set aside funds for women empowerment.
She said women need to be equipped with business and production skills, promote their access to rural finance providers as well as help them access markets for them to be economically empowered.
Mrs. Kachapin said that there is need to educate women and offer them employment opportunities because of high poverty levels and hunger in the region.
The county first lady cited that many girls in the area have dropped out of school because of many retrogressive practices like female genital mutilation and early forced marriages.
Speaking at Murpus village after rescuing a thirty year old mother of eight Mrs. Catherine William who recently gave birth to twins and staying together with goats in the same house after wind blew off her hut.
