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.
The President flagged off 50 trucks carrying 20,000 bags of rice, 24,000 bags of beans, cooking oil and 450 bags of assorted animal feeds to ten counties that are worst affected by drought.
“To ensure transparency, the relief food from both the national government and development partners will not only be distributed by the county commissioners as has been the case before. It will be a joint effort that will involve various stakeholders including the donors,” Ruto said.
The President also promised to dispatch the next relief food shipment this Friday, September 30, after assessing the situation on the ground, and that he will hold a weekly meeting to review the challenges faced and the next steps in managing the drought situation.
“I would also like to commend our development partners for their generous donations. We will be meeting with them again this Wednesday where we will assess the situation of the drought also plan ahead to avoid duplication of roles,” Ruto added.
The President directed the Ministry of Water to mobilize water boozers to deliver water to areas that are in urgent need.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been tasked with conducting weekly meetings to assess food and water needs countrywide and advise on what strategy should be employed.
County governments are also to make revisions in their budget to provide more funds to fight the drought.
“I have also told the Deputy President being the chair of IBEK to make sure county governments are facilitated adjust their budgets so that they can make resources available,” said President Ruto.
Earlier, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met with governors from drought-affected counties in a meeting attended by the chairperson of the Council of Governors, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru.
Those in attendance at the State House event included National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, his Public Service counterpart Margaret Kobia, governors from Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties, and donors from Safaricom and USAID, among others.
