Hunger kills 20 in Baringo, Turkana

It is a few minutes past 2pm on Saturday at Kamusuk village in Tiaty, Baringo county. The sun is hot and hunger-victim Lochuryo Lemeri, 79, is staring death in the face.

The sickly, weak, and emaciated man is helpless on bare ground under an acacia tree, covered in a black striped Pokot-sheet outside his grass-thatch manyatta.

“I have not eaten food for the last three days,” Lemeri said in a low voice. The last meal he ate was boiled ‘soruch’, bitter wild fruits, in a bowl.

His stomach started running soon after the meal of the pea-like fruit.  He vomited and defaecated bloody faeces.

The herder has lost all his livestock to the long drought that started in September last year.

“My stomach pains and the punching headache is killing me. Can someone get me some painkillers?” he pleaded when journalists arrived at his home on Saturday.

The hunger-stricken Kamusuk village is 6km from Chemolingot town and the frail, poor old man has no money to hire a motorbike to take him to Chemolingot health centre.

The ‘Inua Jamii’ beneficiary says he has missed the government money for the elderly for the sixth month putting his life, with his 11 grandchildren at risk.

DEATH TOLL HITS 20

Lemeri’s neighbour,  Lokunyale Kamusuk, succumbed to hunger-related illness aged 45. He was buried on March 14. His death raised the toll in Baringo and Turkana to 20.

His widow, Lokidap Chepkogh, said her husband was a carpenter.  He had had no job for one week, and there was no money to buy food.

“He had never fallen sick until recently when his body started becoming weak and emaciated. He complained of chest pains before coughing to his premature death,” she said.

With the family breadwinner gone, Chepkogh and her  two young children survive on ‘soruch’.

Kositei sub-location chief Jackson Ronei listed others who have died of hunger un the area since January as Chemkea Lokapelekirangan, 70, Chepokugho Lotuduny, 69, and Akileng Limamer, 54.

In nearby Cheptunoyo and Nalekaat villages  in Silale ward, 11 people have also died of hunger. 

They are Apewot Choriaken, Domokong Longoria, Siwan Siran, Domoliyet Siywalet, Chepurayi Mamet, Losirkon Lopoyii, Lobonge Kangidomoi, Chepokurer Kangidomoi, Lomoler Lodiongole, Siliarok Akiriamet and Etim Ak’ghyiang.

Last week, four people died in Turkana county, where 200,000 residents face starvation.

 THE WORST HIT

The worst-hit areas in Tiaty subcounty are Kapedo North, Tirioko, Kipko-Kositei, Kolowa, Silale, Tangulbei-Korosi, Loyamorok and Churo-Amaya wards.

Ripko-Kositei MCA Daniel Tuwit and his Silale counterpart Nelson Lotela appealed to the government to fast-track supply of relief food.

Tuwit said the deaths were just a few since many were not reported. “Majority of the residents are illiterate and prefer taking traditional herbs than visiting hospitals,” he said.

According to Tuwit, the last time the residents received food donations was in November 2017.

“We are elected leaders so we must say it as it is before losing all our people. The government has the responsibility to ensure that none of its people dies of hunger,” he said

NO DEATHS

County commissioner Henry Wafula denied that anybody has died of hunger, but acknowledged the region has a serious food deficit.

"I am now in Nairobi to appeal to the Department of Special Programmes to supply us with some assortment of foodstuff," he said adding that needy cases will be given priority.

Baringo chief health officer Gideon Toromo said there had been no hunger-related deaths in the hospitals. However,  some severe cases of food poisoning had been reported.

“There are some dysentery, renal and liver diseases reported owing to eating of poisonous substances,” he said cautioning residents against taking contaminated food or dirty water.

‘Soruch’ stable diet

Chemkea Lokitet, a  64-year-old woman, says ‘soruch’,  if not well cooked, can be poisonous and can easily cause death.

“Women and young girls walk out of their homes from morning harvesting the wild fruits until they get enough to feed the entire family,” Lokitet said.

The fruits are peeled and the white, hard-shelled ‘beans’ washed and boiled with plenty of water.

“The boiling starts from morning to evening until the 'beans' are soft and taste is better,” she said.

Nobody should eat the fruit when it is bitter. It has to boil until the bitterness is no more. 

Domo Ngoran, a herdsman,  says they have also resorted to consuming the wild fruits after most of their animals died. The remaining animals are emaciated.

“Initially our goats sold between Sh2,500 and Sh3,000 but due to drought the emaciated animals now hardly sell for Sh500 or Sh800,” he said.

Ngoran, who is polygamous,  says the money is not enough to feed 18 members of his the family. The most vulnerable are children, the elderly and expectant mothers.

NOT AFFECTED

Baringo had earlier not been included among affected counties affected by drought in a February 13 report of the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA).

“Currently livestock in the county are still healthy, the residents can still sell them and buy food and even pay school fees,” NDMA Baringo officer Bethuel Wafula said.

The listed counties are Garissa, Marsabit, Wajir and Mandera, Nyeri (Kieni area), West Pokot, Isiolo, Kitui, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Kilifi and Laikipia.

At the same time over 10,000 pupils are likely to drop out of school as schools face closure due to drought.

A few days ago, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa flagged off more than 600 tonnes of relief food for Turkana county where 200,000 residents are facing starvation.

“We will be moving to all affected areas across the country,” Wamalwa said.

The government has 3.6 million bags of maize in its strategic food reserves.  "We had a bumper harvest and we must ensure no Kenyan loses their life due to hunger,” the CS said.

Although the initial response was left to county governments, the situation has worsened with at least 900,000 people in 12 counties facing starvation.