Mandera County donates foodstuff to residents and prisoners
Mandera County Government on Tuesday donated foodstuff to the local GK Prison and non-locals, mainly Christians, to combat Covid-19 and help families affected by floods.
Mandera GK Prison officer-in-charge Francis Mulandi received the rice, maize flour, beans and cooking oil worth thousands of shillings and set to benefit more than 100 prisoners.
Special Programmes chief officer Ali Mahat and director Bishar Mohamed Adan donated the food rations on behalf of the county government.
The prisoners representatives were elated by the donations and thanked the county government for the gesture.
Mr. Mulandi hailed the county government for "remembering" the needy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said more than 100 inmates are to benefit from the food rations.
The administration by Governor Ali Roba also donated foodstuff to vulnerable non-locals families, mainly Christian's living in Mandera town.
There are more than 6000 non-locals living in border town but the county administration identified about 200 "most vulnerable" through their leaders to get the relief supplies.
More than 8000 families affected by floods in Mandera are to benefit from relief supplies from the county government.
Each of the families are to get 12.5 kgs of rice, four kilograms of beans and three litres of cooking oil.
Mandera which has had 18 cases of Covid-19 with a number of recoveries has been cited as a hotspot for the pandemic due to its proximity and porous border with Somalia and Ethiopia.
The floods are as a result of River Daua bursting its banks and have uprooted hundreds of people from their farms and destroyed crops, disrupting livelihoods of farmers and sand harvesters living along the river.
Eight wards in the four sub-counties along River Daua have been adversely affected by the floods.
In Mandera North; Neboi Township, Khalalio and Libehia wards are the hardest hit while Mandera North, Rhamu and Rhamu Dimtu are the worst affected.
In Lafey, Sala ward is most affected while in Banisa’s Malkamari ward the livelihoods of locals have been negatively affected.
According to the county’s Special Programmes team, 5437 people are to benefit from the food supply in Mandera East, Lafey (511), Mandera North (1694) and Banisa (587).
Governor Roba has expressed concern over ravaging floods in Mandera despite lack of rains in the county as a result of heavy downpours on Ethiopian highlands, causing havoc downstream.
He said there was risk of transmission of Covid-19 in overcrowded makeshift shelters in displaced persons camps.
The county's food security has also been threatened by recent drought, floods, locust invasion, ban of travel into and out of Mandera and the month of Ramadhan that has seen prices of food triple.
Mr Roba urged the Ministry of Devolution and Asals led by Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa to intervene and provide food and other support
