Sh600m set aside to buy livestock through Kenya Meat Commission

A pasteuralist shows carcass of a cow near a herd of others at drought hit Bangale village in Tana River County. The County is among those at the Coast that is faced with severe drought and famine. The Government will, through the Kenya Meat Commission, buy animals worth Sh600 million from pastoralist communities in Mandera. (PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED/ STANDARD)

The Government will, through the Kenya Meat Commission, buy animals worth Sh600 million from pastoralist communities in Mandera.

National Assembly Agriculture, Livestock and Co-operatives Committee chair Adan Mohamed Noor is now urging residents to sell off some of their livestock from being ravaged by drought as the region experienced its worst drought in five years due to delayed rainfall.

The Mandera North legislator was with Mandera Governor Ali Roba on a tour of the county to assess the situation and the governor announced contingency plans to prevent the communities from being ravaged by drought.

Livestock keeping is the lifeline of communities in North and North Eastern Kenya but their livelihood is now under threat.

"The drought response programme is already underway, we have already distributed food and are assessing the situation to see what more can be done", Roba said.

He said that starting next week 35,000 bales of fodder would be supplied to communities in Phase One of the project.

Roba was speaking in Takaba in Mandera West Constituency yesterday where he stated that the county government will double the number of water bowsers and increase access to water for people and animals.