A Food processing company has donated a consignment of maize flour to support vulnerable families experiencing hunger crisis in Murang’a county due to the adverse effects of Covid-19.
The Capwell Food Industries, which manufactures maize flour under the brand name, Soko Unga on Wednesday donated 550 bales of maize flour valued at Sh.780, 000 to the county government.
The donation will be channeled to families which have been facing challenges in feeding themselves after their economic status was ravaged by the pandemic.
Area governor Mwangi wa Iria said scores of residents were going through hardships after their jobs and businesses were hampered by restrictions imposed to control the spread of corona virus.
He observed that the deadly disease had occasioned hunger to many families as their bread winners can no longer eke living as they used to do before covid-19.
“Our people are hungry not because there is a drought but because of the slumped economy due to this virus,” noted the governor.
At the same time, Wa Iria has lauded relevant stakeholders who have continued to support the devolved unit in its concerted effort to protect locals from coronavirus infections and also cushion them from the negative impacts of the global pandemic.
Subsequently, through such initiatives the county government has been able to issue foodstuffs to members of clergy, matatu operators, bar workers, while working towards assisting about 30,000 families.
The governor noted that last March, the county administration also issued seeds to maize farmers and that their crop is now due for harvesting in a few months’ time.
“We do not know how long this pandemic will last and that’s why I am insisting that we store any available food and the expected harvest to stop over reliance on relief food,” he said.
Capwell Industries based in Nairobi is processor of Soko Unga, Pearl Rice, Amaize flour, Yola among other products.
The Company’s CEO, Rajan Shash said through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) they have been visiting various places and donating foodstuffs to cushion Kenyans on the negative impacts of covid-19.
“We have full-fledged CSR activities that we consistently carry out and we thought this was a time of need and we found it necessary to step forward and assist the affected families,” he said.
The company started donating foodstuffs to needy families within the Nairobi’s CBD before expanding the programme to other counties that were equally affected. About 10 other counties were then selected and the programme kicked off.
Shash lauded the Murang’a county government for its extensive food issuance programme which he said exemplified good leadership.
“The county government policies in agriculture were something that we would like to supplement as a company after coronavirus so to sustain the income of farmers,” he said.
The CEO expressed optimism that the pandemic will be controlled fast enough, but he warned that it may affect the country a longer time, requiring Kenyans to adopt the new normal.
By Bernard Munyao
