Siaya county government has established collection centres in the sub counties to receive donations from well-wishers to enable it support the vulnerable against coronavirus, area governor Cornel Rasanga has said.
Rasanga also announced that a bank account will be opened to enable those who want to support the war against the global pandemic with money to channel it there.
Speaking at his Segere village home in Siaya on Thursday, while receiving donations from well-wishers, the governor said that the bank account will be controlled by the private sector.
He said that the initiatives have been taken after realization that most households have vulnerable people who can barely feed themselves, leave alone affording the cost of masks and sanitizers that are essential in the war against coronavirus.
“We have established collection centres in the sub counties where people can contribute grains to help our people who cannot afford basic commodities,” said the governor who was flanked by his wife, Rosella Rasanga, the Chief Executive of the KMET, Monica Ogutu and the Head of administration at Lake Agro Company limited, Dennis Adika.
The governor also said his office will procure and distribute seeds to vulnerable farmers to boost agricultural production.
“We are targeting fast maturing grains and vegetables and the seedlings will be given out for free,” he said, while calling on the department of agriculture to fast track the procurement.
Rasanga said that the County Emergency Response Committee has put in place adequate measures to curb the spread of the virus and urged the residents to abide by regulations from the government.
He thanked the donors who, included KMET, Lake Agro Company, PATH and Smart Start programme, who donated personal protective gear, masks, gloves and sanitizers worth over Sh.1.2 million.
KMET further donated three tonnes of nutritious porridge flour to be given out to mothers with infants aged up to three years, and 3,000 fabric masks that will be distributed to community health volunteers.
Rasanga assured the contributors that the donations will be distributed equitably to the targeted beneficiaries, adding that the responsible committee will account for each and every donation.
Siaya has so far recorded two Coronavirus positive cases, with one person succumbing while the second one is under isolation.
By Philip Onyango
