Via KNA
The Kenya livestock marketing council Chair Dubat Amey has called on the National and County Governments in 12 drought-hit counties to come up with committees that will ensure relief supplies to the victims are not diverted.
Speaking in Garissa, Amey said local and international aid agencies are likely to come and assist in the provision of relief aid following a declaration by President Uhuru Kenyatta that the current drought in the country is a national disaster.
Amey there is a likelihood that those entrusted with the distribution of relief food and other items would use the opportunity to divert the same for personal gains.
On Wednesday last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the drought affecting parts of the country a national disaster and consequently instructed the national treasury and the Ministry of interior to spearhead government efforts to assist affected households. The assistance includes water and relief food distribution as well as livestock uptake.
Amey said that the country should form relief distribution committees chaired by the County Commissioners and Governors that will also bring on board all agencies operating in the counties with the sole purpose of ensuring all relief aid reaches the targeted victims.
He said the committees will among other things ensure that all donations are put into one basket and distributed to the victims as well identify the most needy cases that need to be prioritized.
This comes barely a week after Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa raised concerns that some unscrupulous businessmen were colluding with truck drivers to divert water meant for drought victims during a tour of Garissa County.
The British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott has called for climate action to tackle the drought in Kenya during a visit to Isiolo.
The High Commissioner, along with County Governor Mohammed Kuti and County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding, witnessed firsthand how the Isiolo River had dried up, losing a key water source for those who rely on it.
The drought this year is a stark manifestation of climate change, putting more than 2.1 million people on the verge of hunger due to food insecurity.
I’m in Isiolo where the county is facing a drought, and across ?? 2.1 million people are affected
Weeks before the global climate change talks in the ??, I’m with @Governorkuti to hear Kenyan voices so we get a fair deal to stop droughts become more fatal#ClimateEmergency pic.twitter.com/epMIn6i5Rd
— Jane Marriott (@JaneMarriottUK) September 16, 2021
Since February, over a million more people have been affected by the drought, which has been exacerbated by failed rainy seasons.
The visit comes just weeks before the United Nations’ global climate talks, COP26, which will be hosted by the United Kingdom.
Speaking after visiting Shambani, a village affected by drought, Marriott said:
“The human cost of this drought will be fatal. We welcome the Government’s declaration of a national disaster but as droughts become more frequent due to climate change, more must be done to protect food security in Kenya.
