Agony as food, water shortage persists

By Ngumbao Kithi

His emaciated face and protruding ribs betray his once cheerful face and stable gait.

Lying besides his three children in the manyatta in Tana River District, Farah Abdi’s image is that of desperation. He has not had a decent meal for a week and is too weak to rise from his creaking bed.

Speaking through an interpreter, the man says he is sick and has also lost his livestock to drought.

And because he cannot queue for relief donation, he has not got any help like other families in the neighbourhood.

"I have been confined to the bed for the last four months. I do not have food because I lack the energy to queue. That is why I am suffering," Mr Abdi said.

His family now depends on his two wives, who trek for 10km daily to fetch water from Bangale Dam and sell it at the Bangale trading centre. They make a paltry Sh100 from the trade.

Standard Group Deputy Chairman and Strategy Advisor Paul Melly (left) receives Sh500,000 towards the Mercy Train from Athi River Mining Company Managing Director Pradeep Paunrana at Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi. Looking on are the firm’s directors Titus Mbathi (second left) and Wilfred Murungi. [Photo: EVANS HABIL/Standard] [PHOTO: Omondi Onyango/STANDARD]

"This money is not enough because my two wives have 20 children," Abdi said, with pain registered on his face.

Left out

His daughter Khadija, who was the interpreter, says there has not been provision for the sick, aged and children in relief food distribution in Bangale Location.

Khadija said the little food available was only given to those who were physically present at the distribution centre, leaving out the sick and the bed-ridden. Living nearby is Hussein Ado, who has been bed- ridden for the last six months. His condition worsened due to lack of food.

Mr Ado suffers from a chronic cough and requires a special diet. When The Standard visited, he had gone without food for three days.

"According to the doctors, I am supposed to be on a special diet, but I have been without food for the last three days," Ado said.

Bangale Chief Abdi Buru admitted that food distribution was unfair to the sick, children and the aged.

Mr Buru said the World Food Programme brought food, but was only enough for 1,550 people.

"I have been forced to come up with a fresh list of people who are sick or aged who need relief food or else they could die," Buru said.

The chief said several deserving people miss out.

"I am doing another assessment and the number of people in need of food has come close to 3,000, with a big percentage of vulnerable people," Buru said.

The administrator said Bangale village, dominated by pastoralists, was hard hit since apart from food shortage due to drought, there was no water.

"We are lucky because we have Bangale Dam that serves pastoralists from here, Garissa, Wajir and Isiolo areas," he said.

Buru said he is encouraging herders to move closer to Tana River to ease demand for water at Bangale.

"The current situation where all herders from more than three districts flock here in search of water is a threat to this precious resource. We need others to move down to Tana River," Buru said.

 

 

Read all about: drought The Standard World Food Programme

 

 

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