Baringo Aloe Bio-enterprise project was commissioned by the European Union early last year.

The EU invested Sh10.5 million in the project, which at one time was touted to be a solution to the poverty in the semi-arid region.

However, suspicion among interested parties has stalled the project.

The excitement that accompanied the construction of the factory has turned to anxiety and disappointment for residents most of who domesticated the wild plant expecting huge returns.

Local leaders and a private investor, brought on board by the Government to help solicit market for its products, are haggling over the control of the firm.

Local community

The firm's establishment was meant to legalise the export of aloe extract to pharmaceutical companies.

However, this dream might take a little longer to be realised if the current state of affairs persists.

A big area of Baringo District is under the arid and semi arid lands (ASALS) and the residents depend on livestock. But it is the aloe that might turn out to be their gold mine.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Kenya Forest Research Institute (Kefri) are key partners in the project. The two organisations were expected to provide the regulatory responsibility and carry out research.

"We want farmers to plant more because we cannot sustain the factory if farmers harvest plants in the bush. In fact, this is an endangered plant that we need to protect," said an officer at the site, who wished not be named.

The plant also has nutritional value besides being an important component for both pharmaceuticals and cosmetic industry.

There are more than 240 species in the dry lands in Africa, Asia, Europe and America.

Management team

The Baringo community is currently "managing" the factory and plans to install a management team once the factory is up and running.

Chairman David Chemwotei says: "The project belongs to the community and nobody else, so the investor should abide by our demands, or we will get another partner and stop him from playing any other role," he said.

The residents claim they are the rightful owners of the project, but government officials maintain that a third party has to be included to help play the role of marketing the business and the products.

Mr Chemwotei said the group refused to a sign a memorandum of understanding with the investor because "he prepared it alone to suit his interests".

There are several varieties of aloe in Baringo, Koibatek, Turkana and Samburu districts. The plant is also found in parts of Kieni and Nanyuki.

District commissioner Hassan Farah, who is also the chairman of the district development committee, has promised to call a stakeholders' meeting to resolve the stalemate.

The administrator said that the biggest challenge was on the side of the farmers to satisfy the required capacity to ensure that the factory remains operational once it opens.

The plant is among the endangered species and is under government protection. The farmers are therefore not allowed to harvest those growing in the bush but are encouraged to plant their own.

However, enterprising residents have grown the plant in groups and as individuals.
Some have put aside more than 10 acres for the various species and they are upbeat that one day the plant will be a source of their livelihood.

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