Speaker Series 9
Recording
The ninth DevSCA Speaker Series presentation was live-streamed in July 2025. The live stream recording is embedded above.
Abstracts
Kenya Government Efforts to Improve Livelihood and Emotional Health of Turkana People
This presentation is based on a national government program targeting to improve the livelihood and emotional health of the pastoralist Turkana. The Turkana live in an area that is negatively impacted by climate change. Being pastoralists, diminishing pasture and poor supply of water for their livestock result in a loss of livelihood and cause the Turkana mental distress that manifests in frequent violent livestock raids. In this intervention program, I work with school children, community members, including reformed (those who have stopped the practice) livestock raiders. All the participants have received the program favorably, but the reformed livestock raiders have embraced it the most since they were directly affected by the violence in the raids.
The Hannah Emuriakin school kitchen garden
The Hannah Emuriakin Kitchen Garden Project addresses food insecurity and poor nutrition among learners in Turkana County, Lokichoggio sub-county Kenya. Initiated after a borehole donation, the project began with small-scale gardening and later expanded to include a greenhouse and hydroponic farming. These innovations have improved student health, reduced food costs, and enhanced sustainability. The addition of poultry farming has further boosted nutrition and income. By training staff and learners in modern agriculture, the project empowers the school and surrounding community—serving as a scalable model for food security and education support in arid regions.
Speakers
Ooko Anyumba
Mr. Ooko Anyumba is a career administrator who graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1994. Currently, he is the Deputy County Commissioner for Lokichoggio Sub-County in Turkana County.
Key mandate of his office: The Deputy County Commissioner’s office is mandated to implement government policies. One important one, especially for the arid Turkana county that is given to negative climatic events linked to climate change such as prolonged droughts, is environmental conservation. Relatedly, at this time, Mr. Anyumba is rolling out a presidential directive program to engage climate change. This program involves tree planting, especially in Lokichoggio, within Mr. Anyumba’s administrative jurisdiction. The population in Lokichoggio experiences conflict related to livestock theft. Livestock theft is common, and people mostly use it as a means to replenish the stock that dies during droughts. In the tree planting program, Mr. Anyumba not only works with community members and school children to plant and care for trees but also uses the program to build character strengths of young people so they abandon retrogressive activities such as livestock theft.
Hellen Chebet Pkeiyo
Hellen Chebet Pkeiyo is a professional teacher and currently serves as the headteacher at Hannah Emuriakin ECDE, Primary, and Junior School in Lokichogio, Turkana County of Kenya.
Hellen was born and raised in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, Kenya, where she completed her education up to secondary school level. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education (Primary Option) from Mount Kenya University. She has over 14 years of teaching experience.
Her motivation to support a farm project in her school stems from her background growing up. She was raised in a rural village where agriculture was an essential part of daily life; thus, she developed a deep interest in farming. She is especially passionate about helping learners understand the value of agriculture in both the country’s economy and in everyday life. Through her leadership and teaching, she strives to integrate agricultural knowledge into the school environment and inspire young minds to appreciate its role in sustainable development.