The drought-driven famine continues to bite in Marsabit County, necessitating enhanced provision of relief rations to the victims.
Consequently, the Marsabit Lions Rotary Club has distributed relief food to 608 households in the Marsabit Central sub-county reeling under famine.
The Rotary Club Branch President, Stephen Katelo, said the beneficiaries included 300 families from the Songa location and another 208 from Kubi-Qallo, where local pastoralist communities lost their entire stock of livestock to the prolonged drought, their main source of livelihood.
Another 100 households were picked up from Marsabit town’s urban poor setup and special groups with the guidance of the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
Mr. Katelo said the donation of over 12 tonnes of maize flour, rice, cooking oil, and table salt was available to the hungry with support from Rotary Club District 9212.
He noted when he witnessed the distribution of the food that donations from the government and other charitable organisations were not enough, adding that gestures from any other quarter were welcome to ensure that nobody starves of hunger.
Mr. Katelo called on the government to increase the monthly rations for drought victims and also increase the number of beneficiaries, not only in Marsabit Central sub-county but in the entire region.
The beneficiaries expressed their appreciation for the aid, saying that targeting by other agencies in the relief food supply chain could not capture every needy case.
Qabale Tache, who represents the special groups in Marsabit, said that there were 2,879 people living with terminal illnesses, out of whom only 100 were receiving support through the government’s general relief distribution programme.
The exercise, which was described by the beneficiaries as transparent, saw a member from each of the targeted families sign for an assortment of 20 kg of food.
The government has been distributing 56 tonnes of beans and rice to households facing hunger in the Marsabit Central sub-county.
By Sebastian Miriti
