"Farming has been difficult not only on our farms but also in every household within our village due to the recurring periods of less to no rainfall at all. This has been so devastating in many instances seeing our crops dry up before their maturity stages forcing us to buy all the foodstuff from other farmers who have been practicing irrigation on their farms as they have access to piped water. On receiving this first transfer, I had to spend KES 15000 in buying and connecting pipes from the main distribution pipe to my doorstep. This will ease my all-season farming since I am soon making extensions of the pipes to my garden. I also had school fees areas for my three children and had to pay KES 17000 to clear the debts and to cover part of the new term. With the remaining amount, I managed to construct a new kitchen after demolishing an old one that had been in use for more than 10 years now. I am glad that it turned out that it will not only be serving just like a kitchen but also giving an extra room with one bed that can accommodate at least two of my children or a visitor whenever we have one."

"Being a farmer in a drought-prone area has negative impacts on agricultural production. It is no wonder that farmers in rainfed areas are abandoning farming as a source of livelihood. I am lucky to be among the farmers living along Chepkulo River. My dream has always been to buy a generator to pump water to my farm for purposes of irrigation. I plan to buy spend KES 24000 on the same. Receiving this money will enable me to farm without having to worry about rain."

"Receiving this money means agricultural production. For a long time, I have been relying on agricultural production to earn an income for my family. However this is not possible at the moment due to the longer periods of drought experienced in our village. I have a dream of buying a generator that will help me pump water from a river close to my house which overflows when it rains. However, this has not been possible due to lack of money. I depend on casual jobs to feed my family. These jobs are not reliable since you may get hired today and tomorrow you are fired. This has made me and my family to sleep outside because my house is collapsing and I have no money to rebuild it. Upon receiving this money, I will buy a generator and water pumps that will cost me 50000KES so that when it rains, I make use of the water to start irrigation farming. This will help me make a lot of money to build my dream house."

"As I had mentioned to you ,maize production has been a problem because of the maize disease. We are left with no choice but to purchase with the meagre income my husband gets working as a casual labourer at a nearby farm where he works as an irrigation pump operator. That is the main issue here,we are food insecure. The cost of 2kg maize is KES 100 ,which to us is expensive ,it suffices only for a day."

"Long drought and famine that is currently facing our village is the biggest hardship that I have ever faced. Over the years, I have been depending on subsistence farming which would give us plenty of harvest. However, this has changed since the land is very dry. We also experience water shortages which makes it difficult to even do irrigation farming. In most cases, we go without food due to lack of water for only cooking leave alone bathing. This has forced me to start charcoal selling business which is illegal but because it is the only means for survival, we have no option. I intend to use the cash transfers to clear fee balances, buy food and buy livestock that will help us sell to get money when they multiply."

"The biggest difference in my daily life is the joy of seeing the great farm projects rolling after obtaining a generator and pipes. Even though I am still setting the irrigation system up, I am glad that I will soon be running all-season farming as at the borderline of my piece of land is a permanent river that the whole community had been dependent on even on the dry seasons. I am hopeful that I will soon match the neighboring villages in food production and access to the ready market to earn some income that will in turn be settling other household bills."

"My life is different than it would have been if I never received the transfer in that I am living a better life. Through the transfer, I was able to accomplish my dream of starting irrigation farming. At the moment, I am growing maize for my family use by after buying a piece of land close the Galana river. In addition, I was able to boost my goat rearing by purchasing 4 more goats. Also, my children are learning without any interruption due to school fee arrears. Furthermore, we are wearing decent clothing something that has raised our living standards."

"My health condition is deteriorating due to old age, I am no longer able to travel long distances to get water for the family use. I have desired to have tap water connected to my house so that I may have a steady water supply for the family. I spent KES 20,000 on purchasing a 3000litres water tank for storing enough water for myself. In addition, I purchase PVC pipes and a meter gauge for KES 12000 to connect water to my house. Furthermore, I am planning to start small irrigation farming with the excess water to grow vegetables like kales, tomatoes, and spinach. Lastly, I will be able to sell water to my neighbors to earn a living. I used the remaining amount to construct a latrine, this is because we were using the forest which pollutes the environment and is risky especially at night due to dangerous reptiles like snakes."

"Getting this money to me mean that i will be able to clear school fees for my child who is in secondary school. The school owes me 170 dollars. I also have a grass thatched house which i use as kitchen. Its leaking when it rains. Sometimes its even hard to cook. I want to construct a iron roofed house which will cost around 150 dollars. I also have a problem with water. Our source of water is the river which is far from my house and the water is not safe for drinking. We have tapped water and i would like to change to my house. This will enable me to get water for household use and even use for farming. Our area is prone to drought. So when i get this water i can do irrigation in my farm."

"Receiving this money means I will have a stable source of income. When I completed form four in 2008, I lacked school fees to proceed with college education I then resorted to being a farmer. Living near the river is a blessing but i have not had enough money to start up a irrigation project. I plan on putting my 2 acres of land under irrigation. I want to plant vegetables like tomatoes,onions and kales which mature after 3 months and sell to the nearest market. This will be giving me Ksh 10,000 per month and from this my family will have enough money for use. Installing the irrigation system will cost me 67,000. I plan on spending Ksh 18,000 in purchasing a water pump,Ksh 4000 on pipes,Ksh 15,000 on water tank and Ksh 30,000 will go to purchasing seeds,labour and fuel."