Some families in Kirinyaga hit by drought

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru buying some food stuffs at a modern market in Makutano town. [Munene Kamau/Standard]

Governor Anne Waiguru has instructed chiefs and ward reps to compile a list of starving families in lower parts of the county.

Governor Waiguru conceded that South Ngariama, Gategi, Kiumbu, Ndindiruku and Rukanga villages in Mwea were facing a severe food crisis following prolonged drought.

“These are the areas where farmers are engaged in subsistence farming of maize and beans and are prone to famine whenever a massive crop failure occurs,” she said.

She directed are administrators to identify affected families and submit a list to her office for relief food.

“Some people might not belief it, but we have families within the outlying parts of Mwea, whose crops for the just ended season were completely destroyed by drought and who are starving like other Kenyans," she said.

She appealed to Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa to consider affected families in the Government famine relief programme.

Waiguru was speaking after opening two modern markets at Makutano and Kagio towns built at a cost of Sh22 million.

The two markets will be used by cereals and fresh produce traders.