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Isiolo fights hunger for a full tomorrow

Monday, October 17th, 2022 07:45 | By
Isiolo fights hunger for a full tomorrow
Isiolo County Commissioner Geoffrey Omoding and Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo flag off county government's food consignment for 24, 000 hunger stricken households in Isiolo town on October 11, 2022. PHOTO/Courtesy

Fifty-two-year-old Emuria Akipin sits outside her makeshift hut staring at the clear blue skies in the dusty and hot terrain of Ngaremara in Isiolo county.

The scorching sun hits her face and from time to time she wipes dust and sweat from her face with a tiny piece of cloth. In her tiny little hut, besides her bed, which stands in one corner, there is a little fireplace with three stones on which a sufuria with boiling water is carefully placed.

She wants to prepare porridge with the only flour left, not knowing where her next meal will come from. “I have no job or a stable source of income and depend on well-wishers, since I can hardly go out in search of a job due to my health condition, which fails from time to time,” says Akipin.

Just like Akipin, many other people are struggling to afford a descent meal at the end of a long working day — what with the cost of living, which has pushed many Kenyans to dig deeper into their pockets and look for other alternative ways just to survive? And as the world marked World Food Day under the theme ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’ which stresses that production and consumption of safe food have immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet, and the economy, millions of Kenyans can only hope and pray things will get better.

This comes in the wake of a biting drought that has continued to hit Isiolo County and other parts of the region leaving many households at a dire situation due to lack of enough food.

Dire need

Omar Abdi, County Drought Co-ordinator, National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in an interview with the People Daily newspaper said that the county has not received enough rainfall for four consecutive seasons.

“The distribution of rainfall has been poor over the last two years, hence affecting the availability of crops and pasture,” says Omar. According to data from NDMA, some 145,000 residents are in dire need of food assistance due to the drought that has depleted pastures and water sources. With the hunger situation, the county has continued to receive several consignments of food donations from both the national and county governments.

On Tuesday last week, the Isiolo County government rolled out a food distribution programme targeting 24,000 hunger-stricken families. “The food aid is meant to cushion families against the pangs of hunger (so that no one dies) while we look for a lasting solution,” said Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo while flagging off the donation.

Due to the drought, water levels have also gone down and water pans have dried up forcing the authority to carry out water tracking in areas where there is no water available, especially in schools and health centres.

“In such hard hit areas, people cannot afford to buy commercial water hence we are distributing 10,000 litre water tanks in the most affected parts of the county to meet the hygiene and nutritional requirement,” Omar adds. In a bid to find a solution to the recurrent droughts and ensure that there is sustained food production, the government has put in place various measures to cushion the population against hunger.

“We are in a region where many individuals rely on pastoralism as their main means of livelihood. The livestock sector is one of the vibrant sectors in the country and if supported well and systems put in place, it has more returns. However, due to conflicts, climate change and market issues, the sector continues to be affected forcing many people to resort to other activities that can sustain their livelihoods,” Omar explains.

Data indicates that five per cent of the cat tle population has been lost, two per cent goats, two per cent sheep and 0.5 per cent camels, which is exacerbated by diseases, that affect the animals due to trekking for long distances.

Way forward

“We are encouraging the local population to adopt and plant drought-resistant crops such as peas (mbaazi) and also some maize varieties, which grow well in these dry and sunny areas. Fruit such as watermelon and vegetables and tomatoes also grow very well,” Omar says.

He adds, “We also encourage farmers to plant different varieties of grass that are drought-resistant to ensure that there is enough pasture for the animals.” In the outskirts of Isiolo town, many pastoralist drop-outs are now settling.

“We train the community on best irrigation practices, kitchen gardening and adoption of water practices that can help them do farming. We support them in the transition process so that they can perform other activities,” he explains.

The cash transfer programme has also helped to alleviate the suffering of many locals. According to Omar, about 60,000 persons are benefiting from different cash transfer programmes ranging between Sh5,000 and Sh7,000, which are supported by different development partners such as United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Oxfam, World Food Programme and the European Union.

“NDMA was able to register all the 51,000 households in the county in the Hunger Safety Net Programme. Out of this, we have established their daa to see them benefit from a regular cash transfer programme during the dry season. We hope to upscale and reach a high number,” he says.

The authority is also in the process of establishing a single registry for all cash transfers that are being carried out by different developmental partners in the county.

“We are looking at Isiolo County and the region as a peaceful area so that people can be able to till their lands and be able to fend for themselves. Investing in land restoration programmes is a crucial way to ensure that there is food security in the area,” Omar says in ending.

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