The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the increase of foodstuff in Ugunja Sub County, area deputy county commissioner, Daniel Nduti has said.
Nduti said that the sub county, whose economy relies heavily on the Kisumu-Busia highway has received a beating following the closure of the Kenya-Uganda border that has restricted movement.
Addressing the media in his office in Ugunja town on the measures that the government has taken to resuscitate the economy post coronavirus, Nduti gave an example of the price of beans that has shot up from an average of sh.4,000 90 kg per sack to almost sh. 16,000 since the restriction of movements across the border.
He said that the business community has had to rely on supplies from as far as Trans Nzoia and Bungoma which are far off compared to the neighbouring country.
“Food availability is however not the problem, the problem is the cost,” he said adding that being a highway town, the local economy has been affected by the pandemic that was ravaging the globe.
The deputy county commissioner however welcomed the presidential eight point economic stimulus point that aims at reviving the economy and urged Ugunja residents to support the initiative.
He said that the government has in the past pumped in millions of shillings to help the vulnerable in the society.
Nduti said a total of Sh. 26,472,000 has been released by the national government to help the old persons, vulnerable children and people living with severe disability in the sub county since January this year.
Of the amount, he said, Sh.22,584,000 was released to the old persons while Sh. 2,476,000 was disbursed to assist the orphans and vulnerable children.
The DCC said that 91 persons living with disability in the sub county received a total of Sh. 728,000 as cash transfer from the government while 60 students in secondary schools received presidential bursary totaling Sh. 684,000.
He hailed both the national government and local leadership for coming to the aid of 257 people who were displaced by the floods in the sub county.
Nduti urged the locals to be prepared to benefit from the multi billion economic stimulus package that will benefit small and micro enterprises as well as the manufacturing sector.
By Philip Onyango
