The Hunger Safety Net Programme has initiated the second round of registration targeting 4,000 households in Garissa.
County programme manager Salah Hussein said they target the most vulnerable households, with emphasis on children under five years. The programme is under the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).
Initially, each household used to get a monthly stipend of Sh2,700 but the amount has been raised to Sh3,700 to capture children under five.
Hussein said the drive to update records is ongoing in all the subcounties.
“The officers will be going round for the next 15 days so we onboard these people into the system, then pay them before the end of this month,” he said.
Hussein spoke on Thursday in Dujis, Balambala subcounty, during the launch of the registration exercise.
“The objective of this programme is to increase the nutrition status of the children in the county in our monthly bullet at NDMA. It has become evident that children under five face the biggest risk. Their nutrition status needs to be seriously and urgently addressed,” he said.
Hussein said the effects of drought are felt mostly by the rural residents, who entirely depend on livestock.
“He said the devastating effects of drought have made life for pastoralists extremely difficult, hence the need to support them,” he said.
Dujis resident Khatra Ali said since inception, the programme has been of great help to her family.
“We can only thank NDMA for coming up with this programme. They have come to our aid at our hour of need,” she said.
“Before this programme, it was a big struggle for my husband to provide for the family because he is the sole breadwinner and depended on selling animals, which died as a result of drought two years ago.”
She said even buying school uniforms and other learning materials for their six children was a big struggle.
Mohamed Hassan said after losing all his livestock, and with 10 children to feed and educate, the future looked bleak for his family.
“I'm now 60 and at no time did I imagine it would get to a point where I had to depend on someone else to feed my family because with my heard of livestock, my life was just okay because I would sell a few when I wanted money," he said.
"But the ever-changing climate conditions continues to render us vulnerable with the few animals I was left with also dying.”
Issa Dagane from NDMA said the drought agency will continue supporting vulnerable families with the help of other humanitarian organisations.
“The ever-changing climate condition, which continues to show us extreme weather conditions in drought and floods have had devastating effects on the pastoralist community. These families need to be supported,” he said.
