Avoid dependence on relief food, minister tells residents

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By Adow Jubat

The Government spends Sh1.7 billion annually to feed Northern Kenya residents.

Assistant Minister for Energy Mohamed Maalim Mohamud said the residents are so used to food relief they no longer make efforts be self-reliant.

Speaking at Dandu division in his Mandera West constituency, the minister urged the pastoralist community to exploit the available resources and avoid dependence.

He pointed out that residents often destroy their environment by establishing settlements everywhere in order to benefit from relief food.

Retrogressive culture

He said: "If the pastoralist communities exploit local resources instead of depending on livestock, the money spend on feeding them would help address infrastructure problems in the region".

Mohamud said illiteracy and clinging to retrogressive cultural practices such as female genital mutilation and discrimination of the girl-child in education are responsible of several social, political and economical problems in the region.

The Assistant minister said hundreds of children who face the cut annually drop-out of schools and are forced into marriages that end up in divorce shortly"

The MP urged residents to take advantage of the free primary education by taking their children to schools, adding that the bright children from poor families will be awarded bursaries.

He told the youth not to engage in bad behaviours such drug addiction and instead start income generating activities to empower themselves.

"The Government has provided a lot of money to empower the youth through youth enterprise funds. Form groups and apply for the funds from the District Youth office" he advised the youth.