Ntulele residents in Narok East Sub County have called on the National government to give them relief food owing to the prevailing dry season in the area.
James Karia, said the prices of commodities have gone high and only a few families can afford to place a plate of food on the table.
Karia said the prices of livestock that residents depend on have gone extremely down and many livestock have died because of lack of water and pasture.
He called on the National government to prioritize giving relief food to the most affected areas citing Mosiro, Suswa and Ntulele areas as the most affected in the sub county.
Karia said the price of two kilograms of maize has hiked from Sh. 120 in December to Sh. 200 and beans hiked from Sh150 to Sh280.
“Only a small number of families can afford to buy food. Those who cannot afford to buy the food are forced to spend the night on an empty stomach,” he said.
He said the problem is worse for the families that had children joining form one or grade seven as they had to incur extra cost in buying uniforms and buying the required items.
Ms. Noolamala Sururu, a trader at Ntulele market called on the county government to waive taxes they impose on the business community so that they too can reduce the prices of basic commodities.
Ms. Sururu who deals with grains and vegetables asked the government to intervene and give relief food to the residents whom she said cannot afford to buy the expensive food.
“The number of customers has been decreasing every day because of hiked prices. This makes us get very little profit in our businesses,” she told KNA.
A report from the National Drought and Management Authority (NDMA) shows that over 180, 000 people in the county are in dire need of food.
Last week, the government gave 300 bags of beans and 260 bags of rice to vulnerable families in Narok Central Sub County.
By Ann Salaton and Eunice Esho
