The Milgis Trust

Category: Samburu | Date: Aug 28 2008 | By: milgistrust

And over grazing is not helping the situation..The worst problem is the damage that the hooves of the animals do when they are busy ‘overgrazing’!! We only hope that the first rain is not too heavy, as the erosion is going to be desperate, especially after what we saw on our walk up the Lowa Onyoke hill yesterday…What a shame.. The Samburu have an obsession, about ‘wasungu’ [white people] taking over their land, and when it comes to living here, there are times when one has to tread carefully so as not to get chucked out!!…Especially when you say something against their oldest traditions!! Keeping huge herds of stock.. Erosion in some areas, especially around Guasi, south of here, is becoming very serious, huge tracts of land are in danger of becoming completely bare..Already some are.. What I tell the Samburu, jokingly…. it would be better to give the land to ‘ wasungu ‘ , and at least you could steal the grazing off them!, rather than let the land be taken by the ‘ devil ‘!!

But all is not lost!! Yesterday morning we had a VERY interesting meeting with one of the elders from the area..He started by saying ‘You are right’… What about?? I asked.. He said ‘Ever since I’ve ever known you, you have talked about ..” The population of the people rising dramatically, which in turn means TOO MANY GOATS..and the land can’t take it!! ” Well ..we are beginning to see what you mean!!’ I couldn’t believe my ears.. For all these years I thought I was talking to a ‘ Brick wall ‘, the wall seems to be crumbling!..A bit, anyway.. Its a step in the right direction… Even though its still a long way from solving!!… But the subject has been breached, and hes asking me.. ‘How do we get every one on board, so that we can stem it’…