Drought Watch: Gov’t To Distribute Food To Affected Families In Northern Kenya As Hundreds Of Livestock Die

GARISSA, Kenya, Nov 2 – The government is fully committed to ensuring that no Kenyan loses their lives amidst a raging drought in the country, the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) has said.

According to the authority, close to 2 million Kenyans have been affected by the ongoing drought. the number is expected to increase in the coming months particularly since little rainfall has been experienced in some of the affected counties.

In Garissa County, for instance, the local steering committee on drought has identified close to 167,000 people affected by the drought.

North Eastern Regional Commissioner Nicodemus Ndalana said all the affected families will soon start getting foodstuff supplies from the national government.

“Local administrators will identify areas most affected by the drought so that the affected population can be supported,” he said.

Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Gedi appealed for local collaboration in ensuring all families affected by drought are assisted.

“All politicians from Wajir need to unite in helping residents affected by drought get water and food,” she said.

In September, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared drought, which is affecting parts of the country a national disaster.

Consequently, the President instructed the National Treasury and the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to spearhead Government efforts to assist affected households including water and relief food distribution as well as livestock uptake.

The government has since established a multi-agency task force to support the affected families.

Under the Hunger Safety Net Programme, each beneficiary is expected to receive at least Sh5,400.

During a meeting with Regional and County commissioners from the affected counties, leaders said, hundreds of livestock have died as a result of the drought.

The government has issued an Sh597m cheque to Equity Bank which will be used to support affected families in Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, and Mandera.

Further Sh10 billion will be released to counties hosting refugees under the Kenya Development Response to Displacement Impact Project (KDRDIP).

The government also released cash through the Relief Assistance Management Information System (RAMIS).

Under the RAMIS programme families are expected to receive Sh4,000 on a  monthly basis.

The devolution ministry is working with the World Food Programme and National drought management authority by harmonizing their data in order to avoid cases of double allocation.

Also, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as the European Union (EU), have committed Sh1.5 billion and Sh500 million respectively towards water tracking and water provision to the affected communities.