The Kenya Red Cross Society has launched a livestock offtake program in Kilifi County to alleviate hunger and save livestock farmers of further losses.
The program, part of drought and hunger mitigation interventions by President William Ruto, targets to feed more than 5 million kenyans.
The Kilifi chapter of the Livestock Offtake program was launched by Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro over the weekend, as part of mass distribution of relief food in the hunger stricken county.
Marjan Ramadhan, the Kenya Red Cross Program cordinator said so far 5000 bags of rice, 800 bags of beans, 600 cartons of corn beef for all those affected by drought.
Speaking in Bamba area of Ganze Sub-County, Ramadhan said the government had provided cash to the Red Cross to purchase and slaughter 500 animals for distribution to locals.
“The government has promised to provide more funding to mitigate the effects of the drought following the losses being incurred due to the disaster you are aware animals including wildlife like elephants, leopards are dying,” Marjan said.
Marjan said the drought had affected wildlife such as elephants which are dying as a result.
So far, the Kenya Red Cross had distributed food for 3000 families out of 150,000.
Governor Mung’aro said he will build dams as part of climate change initiatives.
“We shall buy machines to build dams, the shovels are expensive so I urge MCAs to pass the supplementary budget to so that the machines are bought and stop complaining,” he said.
Ganze Member of Parliament Kenneth Kazungu appealed to the National government to construct two dams in his constituency to alleviate future food shortages and climate changemitigation.
” We really appreciate getting the relief food and we are going to push so as to enable people to continue getting the aid until the time when the people will be able to sustain themselves to buy food or produce their own food,” he said.
Dhahau Mtoi a resident of Bamba said his area has been hard-hit by the pandemic which happens every October and wondered why this was the case.
“We are surprised why is it that every October and November we have to witness such drought disaster, we have checked in all corners and there are no rains, we have neighbors who bring camel here and we hear they have effects,” he said.
