Kilifi livestock off-take programme launched
The national government, in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross and the county government, has launched a livestock off-take programme in drought-stricken areas of Kilifi County.
About 500 animals are targeted for slaughter and the meat distributed to families that have been affected by the famine occasioned by a prolonged dry spell in many parts of the county.
Governor Gideon Mung’aro officially launched the off-take programme, alongside a relief food distribution exercise targeting about 150,000 residents.
About 4.3 million people in 29 counties are facing starvation.
Kilifi has so far received 5,000 bags of rice, 800 bags of beans, 600 cartons of cooking oil, according to Marjan Ramadhan, a member of the Kenya Red Cross Society’s Programme Standing Committee.
Relief food
Speaking in Bamba area of Ganze sub-county, Ramadhan said the Kenya Red Cross is the lead coordinator of the livestock off-take programme.
“The government will buy and slaughter 500 animals from local livestock keepers and distribute the meat to famine-stricken families,” he said, adding that the government had promised to provide more funding to mitigate the effects of the drought.
He said the Kenya Red Cross was providing relief food to more than 3,000 families out of the about 150,000 families and called on donors to partner with the government to help those affected.
Mung’aro urged the national government to consider building the Rare Dam, in its proposed programme to constructing 100 dams in the country, in order to enable farmers to practice irrigation and stop reliance on rain-fed agriculture.
—KNA
