State wants Sh14b famine relief fund, Minister reveals

The government has requested allocation of Sh14billion in the 2023-24 Financial year for relief supplies for the vulnerable and famine struck families across the country, East African Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has disclosed.

 Miano revealed that some close to one million people have benefitted from the relief food in 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) counties and hotspots in nine ASAL Counties affected by drought.

 Of the 989,120 food insecure people, each household received a 22 kilogram food hamper with 3kg porridge flour, 6kg maize flour, 8kg rice, 3kg beans, 1kg cooking fat and 1kg table salt.

 Miano told Senators that under the Humanitarian Emergency Response Programme food and non-food commodities are provided to household affected by various disasters.

 While responding to Marsabit Senator Mohammed Chute during plenary yesterday, Miano said that her ministry had requested for funding of the current relief programme through supplementary budget and was allocated Sh5.2billion. 

Miano argued that the country has been reeling from a debilitating drought that persisted for four seasons, the worst in 40 years, adding that the drought caused severe food shortage and wiped out livestock worth billions of shillings.

 “The government stepped in to avert a possible disproportionate humanitarian crisis by reaching out to affected populations, the majority of them in arid and semi-arid lands,” said Miano.