President William Ruto flags off relief food to 3.5 million Kenyans facing starvation

President William Ruto flagged off relief food to famine-stricken families in various parts of the country on Monday at State House, Nairobi.

President Ruto said that the government would ensure regular distribution of the relief food in the next few weeks and monitor the impact of the intervention.

Over 3.5 million Kenyans across 23 counties are facing starvation due to the impact of climate change which has significantly reduced the ability of many families to produce food.

“We have 20,000 bags of rice, 20,000 bags of beans and assorted animal feed together with cooking oil that will go to various parts of our country that are facing serious challenges of drought,” Ruto stated during the ceremony.

“The next consignment of food to areas affected by drought will be on Friday, and on a weekly basis, we will assess the situation and see what this intervention will mean for the people around the country,” he added.

President Ruto directed the Ministry of Water to urgently distribute water in bowers to Kenyans who are affected by the drought.

However, the head of state said that this would be among the last of such ceremonies, as the government looks for a long-term sustainable solution to the food shortage.

READ: Kenya to get $255 million from USAID to tackle drought

“I hope that this will be among the last times we are doing this kind of ceremony, where Kenyans are facing starvation and hunger. I think is it possible for us to have a much more pro-active approach to situations like these,” he said.

The head of state also instructed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to work within the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) to ensure that county governments also get resources to combat hunger.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua meeting with Governors from counties affected by drought in Nairobi on September 26, 2022 Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua meeting with Governors from counties affected by drought in Nairobi on September 26, 2022 Pulse Live Kenya

“We expect counties to adjust their budgets so that they can avail resources for the mitigation of the drought situation in the country,” Ruto stated.

He said both the National and County government should work in tandem to help Kenyans who were starving, even if it meant slashing budgets from other projects.