The Devolution Cabinet Secretary (CS), Eugene Wamalwa has assured citizens that the government will not allow any Kenyan to die of hunger.
The CS made the remarks at the Isiolo stadium on Wednesday when he presided over relief food distribution exercise to affected residents.
He said that the government has more than four million bags of maize for the strategic grain reserve in different National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots, which will be sufficient for the affected parts of the country.
Wamalwa said the national government, through his ministry had embarked on relief food distribution exercise in Isiolo county, in a bid to cushion residents from the effects of hunger that continue to bite hard in at least 12 counties.
He cautioned members of public against being conned by dishonest individuals who are asking people to contribute funds in the guise to aid the hunger stricken Kenyans.
“My advice to you is that Kenyans should disregard calls from unknown quarters asking them to contribute money through pay- bill numbers in pretence to help drought victims in various parts of the country. People will be conned of their hard earned cash in the guise of helping the affected families, said the CS.
Wamalwa also warned School Principals against sending away students whose parents are unable to raise funds for food, noting that the government was set to roll out a food for fees programme so as to retain them in learning institutions even if they lacked fees, just like during the previous drought in 2018.
The Isiolo governor, Mohamed Kuti lauded the move by the national government to complement efforts but he criticized the drought response mechanisms, saying the trend was not meaningless in the long term, since dry seasons come almost every year, with people receiving food as a short term measure.
He called upon all stakeholders and the two governments to support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s food security priority in the Big four development-agenda through embarking on long term measures to empower local people to produce their own food.
He said that the ongoing construction of a dam at Kilimani will ensure that irrigation becomes a success in various parts of the County.
Dr. Kuti called upon farmers from Kakili, Shambani, and Kilimani areas in Burat ward to make maximum use of the dam once complete in order to produce adequate food for use both locally and even beyond the County. The dam is expected to be completed in June this year.
By David Nduro
