A food crisis is looming in parts of the Mt Kenya region after crops dried up due to failed rains.
Residents are now asking President William Ruto and their very own Rigathi Gachagua to move with speed and address the dire food situation in the region.
Speaking on the matter, Mbeere MP Nephat Muriuki asked the Kenya Kwanza government to urgently supply foodstuff and water and forget about the so-called fertilizer which Ruto’s government has been distributing to farmers, saying people cannot eat fertilizer.
“For a long period, the area has experienced rain failure and all the crops were wiped out by the scorching sun. This season, the situation is the same, and something urgent should be done to save the lives of my people,” said Mr. Muriuki, adding that the residents require 60,000 bags of maize and beans to save their lives.
A similar call was made by a resident who noted the drought has hit them so hard and they should be provided with food urgently. They lamented that some of their children were not going to school due to hunger.
“Some of our children cannot learn without food and they are staying at home. A school feeding programme should be started as soon as possible so that the education of our children is not disrupted,” Ms. Margaret Wanja, a resident, said.
On the other hand, Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo urged the government to scale up humanitarian aid to millions of starving Kenyans as the drought continues to wreak havoc in more than half of the counties.
Speaking while distributing maize flour to 4,000 families in Isiolo over the weekend, Dullo said there was a need to continuously provide food to ensure no one dies of hunger.
She chided Ruto over the nationwide tree planting drive, saying though important, priority should have been on cushioning hungry Kenyans and ensuring no citizen starves to death.
“The situation is very bad. You cannot plant trees when people are dying. We should plant trees while taking care of hungry Kenyans. The government must up it’s game and ensure no life is lost,” she noted.
