Philanthropists heed to DP Gachagua's call, give food worth Sh4.5m

Luck has smiled upon starving Kenyans in Kajiado after the Lions SightFirst Eye Hospitals donated relief food for drought stricken residents.

The initiative targets more than 300 households with food and 400 livestock with 400 bales of hay all estimated to be worth over Sh4.5million.

The donation was done by the hospitals’ chairman Dr Manilal Dodia and vice chairman Dr Manoj Shah in collaboration with MP Shah Hospital.

They were accompanied by the Covid-19 Task force Chair Dr Willis Akhwale.

The donations according to Manoj Shah were as a result of the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s appeal following president William Ruto drought mitigations for the most vulnerable in Kenya’s famine catastrophe.

The donations consisted of packets of maize flour, chapati flour, bean, rice, cooking fat, salts porridge flour among others.

Speaking during the donations event, Shah said the initiative which is a partnership between Lions Eye Hospital and MP Shah Hospital will soon be rolled to cover all the drought stricken 24 counties countrywide.

“We have started with Kajiado because when we first visited the region we witnessed many feeding mother's going hungry while herding cattle as the some of the animals were so hungry and could not walk. We also witnessed some die,” Shah said.

Akhwale promised that the distribution will reach the right people adding that already coupons have been issued to the most vulnerable.

The county is among those worst hit by the ongoing drought in the country.

The move comes as the government scales up mitigation measures to save at least 4.5 million Kenyans affected by the ravaging drought.

The situation has pushed to limits the lives of Kenyans in at least 23 counties across the country.

Kenya's drought is said to be the worst in 40 years.At least 4.5 million Kenyans are in dire need of relief food.

Animals have not been left behind.

An estimated 2.5 million livestock deaths have so far been reported in the drought-stricken counties due to lack of vegetation and water.