A total of 4,000 households in two wards in Turkana County have benefited from relief food donated through the national steering committee on drought response.
Turkana central deputy county commissioner Machira Gathungu on Saturday led partners in distributing relief food to 2,038 households in Kangatotha ward.
Other partners present during the event included Kenya Red Cross Society, National drought management authority, Equity bank, Safaricom and area MCA.
Another batch of food which had not arrived by yesterday will be distributed to 2,070 households in Kalokol ward.
Kenya red cross official Daniel Langat said the food hamper contains 3kg uji flour, 3kg beans, 8kg rice, 6kg maize meal, 1 kg cooking fat and 1 kg salt.
DCC Gathungu said the food distribution is coordinated through the office of the deputy president.
He said the government will ensure that nobody dies from drought.
He noted that there has been a lot of mobilization of resources to respond to drought as Kenyans hope for rains.
He said that the government is committed to ensure that the plight of the drought stricken counties is supported through other programmes like livestock offtake programmes.
He lauded the government and partners for considering the county residents.
He added that the government is continuing to distribute food through the state department for arid and semi- arid lands.
NDMA county coordinator Abdikadir Jilo said the authority was supporting 39,981 households under the cash transfer programme which translates to 240,000 people in the county.
Equity bank Lodwar branch manager Job Nyorsok said the bank has so far donated Sh120 million towards the drought response programme.
Nyorsok added that the financial institution was also supporting the disbursement of the cash vulnerable families in collaboration with the NDMA.
By Peter Gitonga
