Over 6,000 Juja residents receive relief food as hunger persists

Thousands of Juja residents in Kiambu county are facing acute hunger and are in dire need of food aid, area MP George Koimburi has said.

The lawmaker said that the area has received minimal rains and farmers in the semi-arid constituency have no hope of harvesting any produce from their farms.

Koimburi spoke on Friday while distributing food rations to over 6000 hunger-stricken stricken residents in Juja, Witeithie, Murera, Theta and Kalimoni wards.

The residents received rice and beans.

"We are grateful to the government for coming to the aid of our people and releasing relief food. It's evident that our people won't harvest this season due to low rains. This means more people will face hunger," Koimburi said.

The MP appealed to the government to scale up the distribution of relief food in the constituency to save residents who are languishing in hunger.

"Most families are hardly getting a meal a day and especially the elderly. We are pleading with the government to give us more food aid," he said.

Koimburi noted that plans are underway to initiate an irrigation project in the area as the government seeks more ways to assist farmers to boost their production.

"Water from Ndururumo area in Theta ward will be piped to farms in Juja. This is the only way to beat hunger because farmers can no longer rely on disrupted rainfall patterns," he said.

He said that he is currently lobbying for funds for the project. Koimburi also noted that farmers in the region are set to receive farm inputs including fertiliser which will help improve their production.

Witeithie ward MCA Mwibiri Ngugi and his Juja ward counterpart Jeremiah Kiama said the irrigation project is the only solution to food insecurity in the region.

"Most people are jobless and are facing an uphill task in provide food for their families. Right now maize is withering in the farms due to lack of rains," he said.

"There will be a hunger crisis here and people need relief food. However, the government should consider giving us an irrigation project as a long-term solution to this menace."

Residents hailed the government for the noble initiative saying that the food will last them for some days.

"Putting food on the table for our families has become a toll order. Our children are going back to school next week and this is really stressing us. We hope the government can extend this food programme for a few months until we get rain," Faith Njeri, a resident from Milima-ini village said.

"We have farms but what is lacking is sufficient water. We can no longer rely on rain. The project will help us produce enough food for consumption and surplus to sell," Boniface Kariuki, another resident said.