Tana River determined to beat food shortage

Tana River, Kenya: Tana River County has been synonymous with resource conflict pitting the Orma and Pokomo communities, who for decades fought over land, pasture and water.

According to the Governor Hussein Dado, the link between conflict and food security was strong prior to the establishment of devolved units of government.

"My first agenda is peace, second agenda is peace, and third agenda is peace. Never again shall we shed each other's blood. Next is to move beyond food insecurity," declared Ambassador Dado after being sworn in.

The governor cemented this pronouncement by forming the department of Cohesion and Special Programmes charged with the task of ensuring there is harmony between communities.

A team of 15 members were also taken to Rwanda, where they visited mass graves of the 1994 genocide and interacted with Rwandan communities.

Tackling famine

"The initiative we put in place has paid off. Since the County government was sworn in, we haven't heard incidences of tribal clashes," says Abdi Bille, the Cohesion and Special Programmes Executive.

He says that the committee acts on all reports of possible conflicts and uses elders to mediate between warring communities.

In the last four months, the Governor says over 30,000 households affected by famine have received relief food. The county has so far distributed over 400 tonnes of maize, 525 tonnes of rice and 44,000 litres of cooking oil across the county.

Five water pans with a capacity of 100,000 cubic metres are complete.