No Kenyan should die because of drought and food shortages

Severe drought in parts of Kenya exposes more than 1.3 million citizens to starvation. Around the same time last year, 1.6 million Kenyans experienced starvation. At the time, the Government through the Ministry of Devolution committed to spend Sh3billion on food relief for a period of six months.

The situation is particularly bad in the arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya, which routinely go through the experience year-in year-out. The worst hit areas are Kilifi, Tana River, Marsabit, Mandera, Samburu, Isiolo, Garissa, Kitui, Wajir and Taita Taveta.

The National Disaster Management Committee estimates 54,000 people in Samburu need food aid. In June this year, 600,000 West Pokot residents needed food assistance. In Laikipia County, it is estimated that 200,000 people require food relief. In Kilifi, 150,000 people need food while in the Kinango area of Kwale 230,000 are suffering.

In fact, the food and water scarcity in Kinango is so bad, it is reported that 300 residents stormed the home of area MP Gonzi Rai demanding food and water. This is a dangerous precedent that could see legislators enduring a lot of pressure, yet good policies and planning could preclude such siege situations.

While the perennial incidence of drought would have by now compelled the Government to put in place permanent structures that would be able to deal with such eventualities, Government functionaries are at ease issuing statements that do little to mitigate the situation.

There needs to be a complete paradigm shift in the way Government handles the question of food security and drought in the country. It is not enough for Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri to simply state that no Kenyan will die of hunger without demonstrating how this is achievable.One of the major concerns is whether there is enough food for Kenyans, especially in view of reports that the country had to import maize from Uganda recently to meet demand.

In the 2016/2017 budget, food security allocation was Sh12.2 billion while infrastructure took Sh314 billion. If this is broken down, it means each Kenyan was allocated Sh260 as food security.

This can hardly take care of the needs of Kenyans who need urgent help now. We cannot afford a situation where the country appeals for food assistance from the international community every year yet fails to address the underlying reasons for the food shortages.

The meteorological department periodically puts out weather warnings that, apparently, are not taken seriously. Government reaction is always reactionary, yet this shouldn’t be the case given the advance warnings.

Cattle herders in drought-hit areas may ultimately escalate tension as they fight over scarce water resources to ensure their own survival and that of their livestock. The other downside is the effect this has on education, even as the Government promises to tackle illiteracy, more so in the hard-hit areas where vagaries of nature are bound to defeat such noble efforts.

As the Government prepares to give food relief and ensure no Kenyan dies of hunger, it must put in place mechanisms to guarantee relief food reaches the intended people. A report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in 2014 showed relief food supplies were diverted for commercial purposes by Government agencies involved in the distribution.