With ongoing famine, freedom from hunger council is dead

News headlines in the last several months have been awash with stories of hunger, drought and devastation. Photos trending online almost daily speak of a dire situation: children clasping onto empty bowls, animal carcasses littering the dry, dusty plains and crops, barely one foot high, but already dry.

This is attributed to the four failed consecutive rain seasons, and late onset and poorly distributed 2022 short rains season. As a result, 14 counties have been listed in the Alert drought phase, and the number of people in dire need of food assistance stands at 4.35 million currently.

But did you know, amidst all these desperate calls for food aid, that Kenya actually has a Kenya Freedom From Hunger Council (KFFHC)?

The Ministry of Agriculture, through an act of parliament, established the KFFHC in 1965. This is after the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) encouraged member countries to set up measures to fight hunger. The minister of Agriculture then was Bruce Mackenzie and the Assistant Minister was James Nakhwanga Osogo. The initiative has been around for 55 years and to date is still struggling to achieve its objective of alleviating hunger and poverty in Kenya.

Funds collection

Did you know, their major strategy of collecting funds to fight hunger has never changed in 55 years? The Council collects money by asking schoolchildren to walk around with forms asking people to sponsor them.

Thereafter, they ask Bata Shoe Company to donate shoes that would be used by the guest of honour. The guest then smiles as he receives the shoes and takes pictures which are circulated to media houses. Did you know there are other groups that have adopted walking as the best alternative way to fundraise? The Mater Heart Run and The Dettol Heart Run have also used the same strategy to raise funds for needy causes.

The Kenya Red Cross has adopted different approaches to raise funds and these have seen the organization grow their resources and expand its operations to a large scale. Did you know that for many years, the Kenya Freedom From Hunger Walk was a fixed calendar event that was looked forward to by school parties.

Helping the needy

It was a weekend off for many school children who enjoyed the activities more than the fact that the event was for helping the needy.

The walk was mostly a Nairobi affair and Kenyans outside Nairobi rarely knew much about the initiative, apart from the scanty news on national television.

The KFFHC has remained dormant in the last few years because they have been overtaken by modern initiatives like the Food Caravan, Wakenya Pamoja and many others used to fight hunger and food shortage in general.

Their headquarters off Rhapta Road in Westlands remains a dilapidated and desolate place despite the big name.

Did you know, unless otherwise, the KFFHC is as good as dead because it is rarely heard of and its historical achievement diminished with the passing years. The last walk was done several years ago.