Garsen MP in Tana River County Ali Wario Guyo has donated 300 bundles of maize flour and supplied water to the hunger stricken people in Assa and Kone villages at the cost of Sh1.4million.
Speaking to the area residents, Guyo said that about 10,000 people in the locality were experiencing food shortage and water following a long drought period occasioned by inadequate rainfall over the last two years.
The MP said in the last two weeks, water bowsers have been distributing water to the affected people including primary schools, especially Assa boarding primary school, which is about 100 kilometres away from Garsen town.
He said the boarding primary school is catering for the local nomadic communities that normal travel for long distances looking for pasture for their livestock.
The boarding facility is therefore ensuring that children remain in school as their parents move from one place to another in search of pasture for their livestock.
He appealed to the National government to supply relief food to needy people in Assa and Kone villages because the assistance from Garsen National Government Constituency Fund was barely enough and depleting very fast.
The MP however thanked the National government through Coast Water Services for the ongoing drilling of Sh4.5million borehole at Kone village saying upon its completion, over 10,000 people and 70,000 livestock will benefit from constant water supply.
He also said two more boreholes will be drilled at Idhi and Onjila villages by the National government to ease the problem of water in Assa-Kone ward.
On his part, Tana Delta Sub County Deputy County Commissioner Mr. William Nasongo also speaking at Assa village, said challenges of water and food in the area has contributed to school drop outs because many school children abandon learning activities and go out looking for water, thus affecting school enrolment and pupils’ retention in classrooms.
Nasongo said schools like Assa Boarding Primary School with a capacity of admitting 200 pupils in the boarding section has only 55 pupils, because some of the children had shifted with their parents in search of pasture for their livestock.
The Deputy county commissioner directed area chiefs and their assistants to go out in search of pupils and enroll them back to school because Assa Boarding Primary is benefiting from school feeding programme, hence, “no pupil will go without food and water while learning.”
Nasongo further directed that parents found withdrawing their children from school in order to graze cattle should be reported to his office so that they could be charged for denying them education.
By Simon Guruba
