Governor Benjamin Cheboi has stated that as a result of the prolonged dry spell, more than 239,000 people in Baringo County face starvation and require food assistance.
He urged humanitarian organizations and the national government to assist hungry locals, prevent deaths, and keep children in school.
Mr Cheboi cited weather reports that show the county will receive below-average rainfall in October, November, and December during Mashujaa Day celebrations at the Kabarnet Museum grounds on Thursday.
“As a county, we currently have 239,036 people in need of food assistance,” said Governor Cheboi.
“Our partners are transferring cash to 36,856 of these people.”
For the next 11 months, we will provide progressively increased food assistance to this population.”
“We must step up, create synergy, mobilize more resources, and implement a more coordinated, real-time, and targeted intervention that will ensure assistance to vulnerable people in drought-affected areas,” he added.
He stated that the devolved unit will work with humanitarian aid partners to achieve the desired results.
“Even as we distribute food aid and assistance across affected sectors, I urge our people not to sell their food stockpiles because projected production is low.” “I encourage all of us to share what we have with those who don’t,” he said.
Mr Cheboi attributed the region’s perennial food insecurity to erratic weather patterns caused by climate change.
“There is an urgent need to embrace environmental conservation, implement restoration mechanisms, and learn climate smart agriculture in order to protect our county from the effects of climate change and, ultimately, to create a climate-resilient county,” he said.
Tiaty School principals recently threatened to close their doors due to an acute food shortage caused in part by an ongoing security operation.
They claimed that as a result, they were unable to obtain fresh produce from Marigat and other towns.
