Drought-hit Kwale residents survive on state relief food

Amina Ali and her eight children are among 200,000 Kwale residents who have been hard hit by prolonged drought.

To survive, Amina has been eating boiled mangoes. She is unable to afford food.

Government spokesperson Cyrus Oguna says, more than 2.7 million Kenyans are facing hunger.

However, Amina can now smile after she received rice and beans, thanks to the state relief food.

Two weeks ago, the government launched the food distribution programme releasing 2,500 bags of rice and 2,000 bags of beans to Kwale residents.

Amina is among the 26,000 families who beneffited. 

The food will help alleviate hunger and sustain the affected residents before the rainy season.

“I am grateful to God, today I won't starve. I will take a break from eating mangoes,” Amina said. 

Her crops didn't do well.

Most of the maize crops dried up in the first few months.

Her brooms making business was paralysed. The bushes dried due to the scorching sun.

She used to sell one broom at Sh40 but her customers have now decreased.

“I used to get something small from my business but the drought-affected everything.  The local buyers preferred saving their money for food,” she said.

Resident Juma Dzombo from Msambweni, also benefitted from the relief food. 

Dzombo is physically challenged and had to cover some kilometres on crutches to get the relief food.

He lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

Dzombo has been surviving on food offered to him from the farm by neighbours but the favour is no more because of drought.

Kenya Red Cross Society secretary general Asha Mohammed says the rains have failed for at least three planting seasons in Kwale.

Red Cross coordinator Mohammed Mwaenzi says 90 per cent of crops and water sources in Kinango and Lunga-Lunga constituencies, have been affected. 

Thousands of livestock died from drought last season, and more continue dying. 

Christine Chidzulwe from Kifyonzo village is among many livestock keepers who are counting losses.

She lost 15 cows and her neighbour Nyondo Shando lost 35.

Eunice Wanza from Kilibasi, Kinango subcounty says her evergreen maize farm has been reduced to a plain field.

She says in December last year, livestock carcasses were lying in the field. 

In December last year, the national government launched Sh40 million livestock offtake programme in Kwale.

The programme was aimed at cushioning the farmers from massive animal losses due to drought.

The government was buying weak cattle at a fixed price of Sh15,000 which were slaughtered and the meat distributed to the drought-hit families as food.

More than 2,600 livestock were bought in Kinango and Lunga-Lunga.

The government established a Sh3,000 monthly stipend programme for the affected household heads.

Speaking in Msambweni while launching the food distribution exercise, Oguna said the state is rolling out many interventions to prevent hunger and help the affected residents.

“The government is giving food, distributing water and money to alleviate the effects of drought,” he said in February.

Oguna said more than Sh680 million has been spent on mobile cash transfers as one way of battling hunger.

Kwale received over Sh78 million.

He said the move is one of President Uhuru Kenyatta's commitment to ensure no Kenyan starves to death.

Oguna said the government will give extra support to the hard-hit families until things return to normal. 

In February the Kenya Redcross also initiated a two-month livestock off-take and feeding programme targeting to benefit 1,500 families.

They introduced a monthly stipend of Sh5000 that was sent via M-Pesa to the affected residents.

By mid-February, more than 200 goats and sheep had been slaughtered and fed to the residents in Kwale.

The county government is also sending water bowsers to various parts of the region to alleviate the effects of drought as waters sources run dry.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris