Cash programme changing lives in hunger hit areas

By Isaiah Lucheli

For many decades, arid and semi arid lands residents have depended heavily on food rations. Frail old women and men sitting under trees waiting for trucks are some of the images that visitors encounter in the region.

Poor road network, lack of trucks, unscrupulous Government officials diverting supplies meant for the starving villagers and vehicles breaking down are some of the impediments of relief food supplies programme.

The nightmare for residents is set to change after the launch of an ambitious project by UK Department of International Development (DFID) in collaboration with the Kenyan Government.

In the new project, residents will get money to buy basics and meet other pressing needs such as medical attention or pay medical fee instead of rations of maize and beans.

The Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP), which is under the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, is being implemented in four districts in the North Rift and Eastern Province.

"The money has had a bigger impact than food rations. Many beneficiaries of the programme have been able to start small business ventures and even take their children to school," says Turkana County Council Chairman Eliud Kerio.

Kerio says the relief food programme has overlooked other pressing needs of pastoral communities.

The Government, he says, has made people dependent on relief supplies by failing to come up with long-term projects to address hunger in the region.

Kerio says the safety net project had empowered the people economically and led to a reduction in environmental degradation.

"People were burning charcoal to make ends meet, but they no longer do that," he said.

He called on DFID and the Government to expand the programme to cover areas neighbouring Pokot, Ethiopia and Sudan in Turkana County.

Life for Lesurmat Rampean, who is a beneficiary of the programme, has changed for the better since she has been able to fend for her grandchildren and take them back to school.

Rampean, who lives in Lontoilo in Laisamis constituency with six dependants, treks for five kilometres to the Laisamis market to receive Sh2,150 after every two months.

"Now I can afford to do other things, like buying clothes for my children or taking them to hospital," she says.

Pilot phase

According to the programme coordinator, Henry Narangui, the initiative covers Turkana, Mandera, Wajir and Marsabit counties and targets people who were at risk of starvation.

"The first phase of the programme has reached over 27,000 beneficiaries in Turkana, 14,000 in Wajir, 12,000 in Mandera and 7,000 in Marsabit," said the coordinator.

He explains that the implementation of the pilot phase of programme since November 2008 had achieved over 90 per cent overall target.

Narangui says over 300,000 people in the region had benefited and over Sh218 million spent.

The organisation has held several civic education forums on the programme.

"Rights education and monitoring has enabled us to be accountable and transparent while empowering the people, especially the vulnerable," he says.

About 145 community-based committees have been established to do civil education and also collect grievances.

The programme has also enabled some residents to restock.

"The payments agent model used by HSNP is also generating local economic multiplier effects. The money is used to maintain food consumption during dry spells and help protect household assets," says Narangui.

The project administrator Carrie Ndoka says there are plans to increase the amount given to each family from the current Sh2,150.

The programme targets people aged over 55 years who have several dependants. The mode of payment is through a Point of Sale (POS).

POS machines use network of mobile phone providers but can even work where there is no network.

The beneficiaries are issued with a card, which identifies them.

ilucheli@standardmedia.co.ke