The committee will also support interventions to cushion the affected populations from ravaging drought in the country.
It will also help mobilize resources to augment the government’s drought response initiative.
Image: File
President William Ruto has created a National steering committee on drought response and appointed Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa as the chairperson.
The team made up of CEOs from public and private sectors will help mobilize resources to augment the government’s drought response initiative.
In a Gazette notice, the committee is expected to support interventions to cushion the affected populations from the ravaging drought.
"Whereas, there is a demonstrable public interest in further upscaling drought response and alleviation programme so as to address the growing humanitarian needs. I, do hereby establish the national steering committee," reads the notice in part.
The targeted interventions are food, water, livestock, health, wildlife, energy, education, security, forestry, agriculture and irrigation;
Those appointed are Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi, Nasim Devji (Diamond Trust Bank),Shamaz Savani, (African Banking Corporation Bank (ABC)),Paul Rushdie Russo, (KCB), Rebecca Mbithi, (Family Bank), Jane Karuku, (EABL) and Joshua Chepkwony (Jamii Telecommunications).
Others are Crispin Acholla, (British American Tobacco), Asha Mohammed Secretary-General, Kenya Red Cross, Edwins Mukabanah, (Kenya Bus Services), Patricia Mugambi Ndegwa (Impact Philanthropy Africa), Krishma Jitesh Chavda (ISHA Foundation) Hared Hassan (National Drought Management Authority).
It will serve for one year and will be domiciled at Harambee house annex.
The committee will be coordinated from the Office of the President. The secretary is lawyer Murimi Murage of the Office of the Deputy President.
The team will be charged with "working with both the national and counties in strengthening the national capacity for resilient recovery to protect development gains from recurrent drought."
In running its operations, it is expected to approve the opening and closing of bank accounts to be operated jointly by a representative of the private sector, the government and red Cross.
It shall also, "Appoint an independent auditor from amongst our nation’s premier audit firms to prepare and certify the financial statements of the Fund."
The food vulnerable households as a result of the drought are spread in 20 counties in ASAL areas as well as in 45 wards in 9 non-ASAL counties.
11 counties-Turkana, Samburu, Tana River, Marsabit, Wajir, Isiolo, Mandera,Garissa, Kitui, Kajiado and Laikipia out of the 20 acutely affected are in the alarm phase of the drought.
Nine others of Meru, Tharaka-Nithi, Embu, Nyeri, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita-Taveta, Makueni and Narok are in the alert phase.
The establishment of the committee comes in the wake of the ongoing distribution of relief food in various parts of the affected counties.
Ruto has termed as the current drought as the ‘worst’ in four decades to hit the country.