Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua yesterday said his county has been spared the effects of the drought ravaging some parts of the country.
He attributed this to the sustainable food policies he launched in 2013.
“Before the onset of devolution, Machakos would never miss out in the list of counties that were given relief supplies every time there was famine in the country,” he said.
Mutua said he put in place the policies to end the “shame of food relief” and unlike neighbouring Kitui and Makueni counties, farmers in Machakos were food secure.
The governor said he would ensure that his county is a model for dry zones that have attained food security.
In 2013, Mutua put in place an agriculture subsidy programme, water harvesting, and expansion of economic welfare of the county’s approximated 1.2 million people.
He further allocated funds for the provision of water for both domestic and subsistence farming. He provided free tractors in all 40 wards to till land.
"Over 7,335 households have benefited from the free ploughing and this has led to bumper harvests," Mutua said.
The Machakos county government dug 420 boreholes in villages for the public to access clean water. Schools also given 10,000-litre tanks.
“Prioritisation of water as a critical element of food production was the first and most important step towards securing the county from starvation,” the governor said.
Further, farmers received free certified seeds as well as subsidised fertiliser.
“So far, 619 tonnes of seeds have been given to 139,000 households with 26,143 bags of fertiliser also distributed,” Mutua said.
He said the combination of well planned and thought out strategies geared towards ensuring food security made Machakos stand out from the list of counties in dire need of food.
Yesterday, Deputy President William Ruto said the drought situation had been assessed and the delayed long rains are partially the reason for the drought.
He said the situation is better than in previous years as there was adequate stock of food.
“The food situation in the country is stable and there should be no cause for alarm,” he said in a statement to media houses.
He urged county governments to ensure that those affected by the drought received aid in time to avoid casualties.
