Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya on Wednesday launched a food distribution programme in Vigurungani location, Puma ward, Kinango Sub County.
The exercise is aimed at reaching 28,000 households of the sub county sponsored by Kwale based Australian mining firm Base Titanium Limited.
The beneficiaries received pre-packaged food hampers containing maize and wheat flour, beans, rice, sugar, cooking oil, salt, and tea leaves.
Mvurya welcomed the livelihood response initiative by the mining firm as timely during this difficult period of covid-19 pandemic.
He urged other stakeholders to come on board and contribute towards ameliorating the plight of the less privileged in the society during this period of coronavirus disease.
The county boss pledged his administration’s commitment in partnering with private sector players in mitigating the debilitating effects of the contagion in the county.
He underlined the need for transparency and accountability in the food distribution programme so that all needy cases in the region receive a fair share.
Base Titanium has been distributing the relief food to poor families in Likoni, Msambweni, Matuga and Lunga Lunga sub counties but has extended the exercise to famine stricken families in Kinango sub county following an appeal by the governor.
During the event, governor Mvurya said his administration would distribute 100 tonnes of maize seeds to farmers in all the 20 wards once the next rainy season sets in. “This will ensure we have enough food supply in the county,” he said.
During his visit in the vast sub county, he also toured Kizingo dam in Macknon ward where irrigation farming is being started by the county.
“We have done big dams and have already trained our people in those localities to do micro irrigation. I strongly believe that in the short-term, residents will be able to sufficiently meet their nutrient needs as well as do business,” said Mvurya.
He later in the day visited the ongoing construction of the Sh300 million Kwale Teachers Training College at Bang’a village, with the institution’s phase one set to be completed soon.
With him was Base Titanium community relations manager Pius Kassim who is coordinating the mining firm’s response to the covid-19 situation in the region.
Kassim said the firm would scale up the relief food distribution to vulnerable families affected by the covid-19 pandemic in the coming weeks.
He identified areas targeted for the latest relief food distribution exercise as Puma, Kinango, Ndavaya, Kasemeni, Mwavumbo and Mackinon Road Wards.
The Governor was accompanied by Puma ward MCA James Dawa, Kasemeni MCA Antony Yama, Mackinon ward MCA Joseph Danda, County Executive Committee members Sylvia Chidodo (Public Service and Administration) and Mangale Ndegwa (Education).
By Hussein Abdullahi
