THE AFRICAN SAGE

Affirmative action is about giving an otherwise disadvantaged or marginalized group privileges or preferential treatment. In order to empower women and enable them to compete favorably with men in the Kenyan society, affirmative action has been embraced. Affirmative action is hailed because it offers a disadvantaged group the opportunity to develop their skills, talent and acumen such that they can compete at the same level as their more privileged compatriots. The first gender based affirmative action in Kenya was in the education sector where girls are given lower entry level cut off points compared to boys. Through such an action, more girls have been able to join secondary schools and institutions of higher learning . Another area where affirmative action was deemed necessary is in politics. Women participation in politics in Kenya has been peripheral. Since independence, women have been underrepresented both in elective and non elective public offices. The first election in

If I were to become the Governor of Bungoma County, in relation to the agricultural sector, m y first agenda would be to put in place a robust and transformative agricultural policy. Such a policy would reality but also vision driven. The reality in Bungoma in the agricultural sector is characterized by opportunity but also challenges. Opportunity is in terms of availability of fertile land, availability of human capital, availability of investors keen on agribusiness and green revolution related initiatives, ready market for agricultural commodities, virgin ground for value addition etc. Challenges exist due to lack of facilitative freedoms, poor knowledge sharing systems, lack of capacity among farmers and extension workers, lack of access to credit, seasonality of produce, reliance on rain fed production, lack of reliable inputs, market information distortions, subdivision of land, lack of disposable income among farmers, exploitation by middlemen, farmers lacking bargaining

If I were to become the Governor of Bungoma County, in relation to the agricultural sector, m y first agenda would be to put in place a robust and transformative agricultural policy. Such a policy would reality but also vision driven. The reality in Bungoma in the agricultural sector is characterized by opportunity but also challenges. Opportunity is in terms of availability of fertile land, availability of human capital, availability of investors keen on agribusiness and green revolution related initiatives, ready market for agricultural commodities, virgin ground for value addition etc. Challenges exist due to lack of facilitative freedoms, poor knowledge sharing systems, lack of capacity among farmers and extension workers, lack of access to credit, seasonality of produce, reliance on rain fed production, lack of reliable inputs, market information distortions, subdivision of land, lack of disposable income among farmers, exploitation by middlemen, farmers lacking bargaining