Turkana University College has donated food to residents of Nazarene IDP camp in Kanamkemer to cushion them from effects of drought and Covid-19.
The institution's principal George Chemining'wa said they have donated 10 bags of maize and beans each to help residents.
"We have donated food to the community as part of our corporate social responsibility. We understand the challenges that the community is going through in terms of getting food during drought and this hard economic times in the face of Covid-19," Chemining'wa said.
He said the university has partnered with Khalsa Aid International, Sikhs Kenya and Ramgarhia Youth Association to drill a Sh3 million borehole to address water shortage in the region.
Leah Ekeno, a resident of Nazerene IDP camp, thanked the university for the relief food saying it will sustain them for some days.
Sammy Ejore, another resident, called on other humanitarian agencies to emulate what the university has done to save residents from hunger.
“Since a university is a centre for imparting knowledge, we appeal to the institution to educate us on how to eradicate poverty and stop depending on relief food. We need to be taught how to produce our food in the community,” he said.
Thousands of Turkana residents suffering from hunger last week received food donations worth Sh419 million from the county government.
The administration announced that at least 640,00 people were in dire need of food.
Disaster Management chief officer Esther Ikaru said they have concluded the food distribution programme that began in March. Families in seven counties were targeted.
“The county government, through the Covid-19 fund, has procured 70,000 bags of white maize, 6,500 bags of rice, 16,000 bags of beans and 15,000 cartons of cooking oil, which will cover 106,366 households estimated at a population of 640,366 in the county,” Ikaru said at Kalotum village in Turkana Central.
She said each household affected by drought has received 36kg of maize, 7.2kg of beans, 4.5 litres of cooking oil and three kilos of rice. Ikaru said the next relief food distribution cycle is set to begin in July.
-Edited by SKanyara
