Around 55,000 people are in danger of starvation because of the prolonged drought in Nyeri County’s Kieni. They will receive food assistance starting Monday next Week.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has said that the government through the office of the Deputy President and the Ministry of Public Service, Gender, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes has released 520 bags of rice and 720 bags of beans to be distributed as an intervention towards cushioning the residents against the ravaging drought that continues to affect the area.
The governor said that the food distribution would include Kieni East as well as Kieni West sub-counties, which have been most severely affected by the raving dry spell.
“We are awaiting the arrival of the food aid which will be received at our stores between Friday and Saturday before we roll out the distribution on Monday. Each of the two areas will be allocated 360 bags of beans and 260 bags of rice as an immediate intervention to mitigate against effects of the famine,” said Governor Kahiga.
The National Drought Management Authority, (NDMA), has warned that 55 725 people are in urgent need of food assistance.
The Authority has identified Mugunda (Gatarakwa), Githima Githima Lusoi, Githima and Thegu as areas most in need of assistance and the most at risk.
NDMA’s report states that although the food security situation is still in the alert phase, it was very likely to shift into the alarm phase.
However, the governor suggested that the number could rise to 80,000. He added that Kieni was not the only one facing drought. He said that the county needed food assistance worth more than Sh300 million.
“We know the relief food is not adequate but we will ensure that we distribute it in a way that it caters for as many people as we can,” he said.
Governor Kahiga spoke Friday, when he highlighted fast-maturing seedlings that will be disturbed by more than 4,500 farmers in different sub-counties.
The consignment included 9,000 kilogrammes of Nyota bean seeds, 8,000 HASS avocado seedlings, certified Irish potato seedlings and capsicum seeds which will be distributed through farmers’ groups.
Kahiga noted that the fast maturing potato would be distributed to rain-deficient Kieni sub-county as part of the county government’s intervention towards improving food security.
“The potatoes will specifically go to Kieni so that we are able to boost the area’s food security. It is important to note that we are expecting the short rains but we have had drought interventions like we have sunk boreholes and dug out dams where the farmers can use the little water that is still there to practice irrigation as we wait for rain,” he said.
Governor Kahiga stated that the county had received more than 4700 bags from National Cereal and Produce Board and 4000 bags from New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (KPCU) fertilizer. These were already distributed to farmers in anticipation of the short rains.
“Our allocation was, 8400 bags from NCPB and it is important to appreciate that we are working with the national government and NCPB we have distributed 4,479 bags of fertilizer. We also received and distributed 4,000 bags of fertilizer from New KPCU to coffee farmers. We are expecting 7,570 bags from New KPCU to go towards coffee farming,” said Kahiga.
By Wangari Mwangi & Millicent Macaria
Source: kenyanews
