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The national government has started giving relief food and drinking water to thousands of hunger-stricken people in Murang’a county.
County commissioner John Elungata on Monday said an estimated 25,000 people are starving in Ithanga, Kambiti, Kakuzi, Makuyu and Kambirwa areas.
“We have more than 8,500 families waiting for the relief food and we will make sure they are fed and no life is lost,” the commissioner said.
He spoke when he issued the relief food to hundreds of starving residents of Ithanga in Gatanga.
The residents received 500 bags of maize, 50 bags of beans, 10 bags of rice and cooking oil at Ithanga chief’s office.
Elungata said the government has heard residents pleas and has disbursed 2,000 bags of maize, 1,000 bags of beans, 100 bags of raise and formula milk for infants to prevent starvation in the county.
He said the government has also supplied more than 10,000 litres of drinking water to Kambiti, where he said residents are suffering as they search for water, as most streams in the area have dried up.
The commissioner said in the next one week, all affected wards will receive the relief food for disbursement through the chiefs.
Elungata warned chiefs against stealing or selling relief food, saying those who will be found to be denying the needy the much needed food will be prosecuted.
“We have, however, made it public how much food each area will receive. This will make it hard for it to be stolen and sold,” he said.
Elungat said the drive will continue until the famine season is over and people have foods in their farms.
He was accompanied by Transport PS Irungu Nyakera and Murang’a woman representative Sabina Chege.
The PS said the government has mapped out all counties that have been affected by drought and has disbursed relief food according to their needs.
“We are using the local administration to get the number of those affected and ensure we reach them,” he said.
Chege said it is unfortunate that people in Central are in need of relief food, yet it is one of the most productive regions in the country.
She said the government should invest in long-term solutions, especially construction of water pans and dams to provide water for domestic use and farming.
https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2017/02/08/25000-hungry-muranga-locals-to-get-relief-food_c1501963