The government through the Ministry of East Africa Community, the ASALs, and Regional Development, has distributed relief food to vulnerable households in the Athiriver sub-county to cushion them against hunger.
According to area Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Patrick Mwangi, households will receive 400 bags of rice and 160 bags of beans.
“The total food to be distributed to the households is 20 tonnes of rice and eight tonnes of beans,” said Mwangi.
Speaking when he launched the distribution of the food aid in his office at Athi River, the DCC said most of the beneficiaries include older persons, the sickly, orphans, and People with Disabilities (PWDs).
“The food targets the vulnerable persons especially those living in slums with no source of livelihoods,” he said.
Mwangi said the food will be distributed across all 11 sub-locations in the sub-county and disclosed that the government intends to increase the relief food to reach many households.
“The current food aid targets the most vulnerable in society; however, in the future, the government plans to increase the food to reach as many people as possible, especially here in Machakos, where the food aid had stopped,” said the administrator.
The DCC called on residents to ensure a 100 percent transition of learners to form one.
“It is a government policy that all learners that sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education join to form one without fail,” added Mwangi.
Also present was National Irrigation Authority Board Chairperson Gilbert Maluki, who said the government was committed to increasing food security through the construction of dams for irrigation purposes.
“Through the dams, Kenyans will be able to do irrigation and improve their livelihoods,” said Maluki.
By Roselyne Kavoo
