Turkana acting Director of Disaster Risk Management Moses Nawoton has confirmed the county has received the first consignment of assorted supplies meant to be distributed as relief food to households across the region in order to reduce vulnerability to the worsening drought situation in the region.
“The supplies received was procured by the county government for the 2022-2023 financial year and will be distributed to the locals from various food distribution points as soon as safety inspection is concluded.” the director said.
Director Nawoton said that the move had been initiated by Governor Lomorukai as a response to the worsening drought situation and an intervention against household food insecurity.
He also explained that the full consignment was 2500 metric tonnes of supplies consisting of 50,000 bags of maize stashed in 50 kgs sacks and 5000 cartons of vegetable cooking oil.
Noting that a team had been constituted to cross check the supplies for health and safety standard as well as quality concerns, director Nawoton warned staff against diverting the supplies and said that stern measures will be taken on culprits.
The director also clarified that the county would rely on the existing food distribution infrastructure and make use of vulnerability index data to ensure that all the most deserving households are prioritized.
The food items come at a time when development partners and national government agencies have stepped up response against drought to cushion residents and is therefore expected to complement the efforts.
By Peter Gitonga
