Communities in arid regions shall be weaned from dependence on relief food in five years, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa has said.
He said the annual ritual of relief food distribution in drought-stricken areas will come to an end in 2023.
The promise follows the signing of an agreement with the World Food Program which will ensure accountability in humanitarian relief assistance during emergencies.
"It must be awkward that we resort to giving relief assistance in the face of a predictable cycle of drought and a rich information database which should help us steer ASAL communities to self-sufficiency,” Wamalwa said.
In a statement sent to newsrooms on Thursday, the CS said ASAL regions are beckoning prospects for immense wind and solar power, tourism, livestock development, irrigated agriculture and cross-border trade.
The ASALs comprises 89 per cent of Kenya's surface area and account for 39 per cent of the population. The CS termed the regions as the economic future of Kenya.
Through the agreement, county governments will be supported to assume leadership and technical responsibility for designing and implementing alternative livelihood projects to ensure resilience during drought.
The UN body will also support the building of an information database particularly on weather patterns and agricultural practices.
Annalisa Conte, the WFP ambassador, said the agreement is pivoted on WFP country-specific plan for Kenya for the five-year period and will drive a shift away from direct delivery of food and cash handouts in the 29 arid and semiarid counties.
“This agreement represents a new vision for our work with the government of Kenya on changing people's lives and making them more resilient by diversifying their livelihoods to better access quality and affordable foods," Conte said.
