Prime Minister Raila Odinga Friday announced that the government had secured a Ksh 1 billion grant for expansion of irrigation schemes in Pokot Districts.

He said the Italian government had endorsed the funding whose impact he expressed optimism could transform the lifestyle and welfare of the Pokot people to diversify their income base and reduce dependency on relief handouts.

The premier told a rally in Sigor market that the project which entailed construction of canals and dykes along Wei Wei River was aimed at reclaiming thousands of acreage for crop production in an area where seasonal rains had failed.

An additional Ksh 150 million was already extended to the Kerio Valley Development authority for the rehabilitation of the broken down Sigor irrigation scheme.

He said the expansion of the scheme was likely to cushion nomadic pastoral communities in the arid district from the ravages of drought which have more than often, claimed their livestock leaving them destitute.

Odinga who toured the water intake plant at the scheme challenged the communities to supplement agricultural farming with livestock raring to break the vicious circle of poverty most local pastoralists went through after the drought.

"It is time the Pokot diversified their source of livelihood in these lean times and engaged in farming in a bid to fight widespread poverty as the government strives to put up  infrastructural for development ." he posed.

He said plans to put up a cement processing plant in the area to boost the local economy was at an advanced stage after preliminary exploration on limestone deposit in the rocky district turned fruitful.

Other infrastructural projects in the pipedream the premier said were the reconstruction of the major road networks traversing the arid are to open up marketing outlets for local goods.

Odinga said proposals for construction of a medium output hydroelectric power plant along the Wei river was found visible adding the move would supplement energy supply from the Tarkwel dam project.

He at the same venue announced the reinstatement of the recently abolished hardship allowance for public servants working in the remote district on learning that the move had demoralized officers in the area.

The premier directed the Ministry of Public Service to rescind the decision excluding Pokot West from the hardship zone bracket to contain unprecedented exodus of teachers from the district following the directive.

On the raging debate over the recent publication of the draft constitution, Odinga urged Kenyans to read the document and submit their opinion within the 30 days grace the citizenry were allowed to make final contributions.

He told fellow countrymen of his wish to see a constitutional dispensation ahead of the next general elections to ensure the reform agenda was fully operational to avert recurrence of events that characterized the aftermath of the 2007 polls.

The Premier who also toured the proposed site of the cement plant in Pokot Central district was accompanied by Regional development Minister Fred Gumo and his Industrialization counterpart Henry Kosgey.

Area Member of Parliament Wilson Litole and local civic leaders were also present.