President William Ruto on Monday, September 26 flagged off a consignment of relief to alleviate hunger in drought-stricken counties.
Speaking at State House Nairobi, the Head of State said about 3.5 million people have been severely affected by drought in various parts of the country.
Ruto flagged off 50 trucks carrying a total of 20,000 bags of rice and beans to the affected families.
Other items released to the affected areas include cooking oil and animal feed.
Some of the most affected counties are Kitui, Makueni, Mandera, Turkana, and Wajir.
Flagging off of relief food to famine-stricken families in various parts of the country, State House, Nairobi County. https://t.co/K7g8PVCyNS
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 26, 2022
Gov’t to release relief food weekly
While promising to review the drought situation on a weekly basis, Ruto said the next consignment of relief food will be released to the affected regions next Friday.
“On a weekly basis we will assess the situation and see what this intervention will mean for the people and what can be done in future,” the President said.
Ruto spoke after a meeting with governors from the affected counties.
He said he had agreed with the county bosses to equally make provisions in their budget to deal with the drought crisis.
Speaking at the same function, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua assured the nation that the government is keen on ensuring there is transparency in the distribution of the food.
“The food we’re flagging off today and subsequently, will not be distributed by county commissioners alone, it will be a concession between the National Gov’t, County Gov’t and our development partners, so that there is transparency and efficiency,” Gachagua avered.
Council of Governors Chairperson Anne Waiguru urged institutions tasked with the distribution of the relief food to work closely with county governments to ensure that all intended beneficiaries are reached.
She also urged the national government to fast-track the process of actualizing the Drought Emergency Fund as well as immediately release the equitable share of revenue due to the counties to scale up the humanitarian assistance to the households experiencing severe droughts.
