Tana River Senator Ali Bule (pictured) yesterday urged the national government to declare the biting drought a national disaster and mobilise international aid. If the drought is declared a national disaster, the international community and humanitarian organisations will be forced to respond to alleviate the crisis, he said.
Bule said the Sh250 million released by the government to the affected counties was a drop in the ocean. The drought is ravaging 15 counties. Tana River is one of the worst-hit. “I appeal to the national government to take this matter seriously and declare it a national disaster,” Bule said.
Addressing the press at Parliament Buildings, he blamed the national government for poor planning. “Our people and livestock are being wiped out because the government has failed to plan, despite having been warned early,” Bule said.
The senator said 150,000 families and 300,000 livestock in Tana River face hunger and dehydration. Bule said schools have been closed, adding that the drought will affect the national exams set for next month for lack of contingency measures.
Bule urged those accused of corruption to surrender their ill-gotten wealth to save lives. He said he is thinking of selling his Sh1 million car and donating the money to the drought victims. He criticised the Tana River county government for not doing enough to mitigate the effects of the drought.