At Least 3.1 Million Kenyans Hit By Famine

By Samuel Ouma

The Council of Governors (CoG) is concerned about the rising number of Kenyans hit by severe famine following a prolonged drought in the country.

Addressing the press on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, the council said that more than 3.1 million people from 24 counties are in need of urgent relief food.

The council’s chair Governor James Ongwae has warned of dire consequences if the situation is not handled in time.

According to Governor Ongwae, over 360,000 people are in the emergency phase, while over 800,000 children are facing malnutrition.

The CoG has called on the national government to increase its support to cushion the affected people.

“This is a very serious situation and we want the government to enhance the ongoing interventions,” stated Governor Moses Lenolkulal.

On his part, Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has pleaded with the government to give the situation a lot of weight, noting that county governments are unable to tackle it due to lack of funds.

“My first-hand experience with the dire situation in Turkana was during a campaign trip with our presidential candidate. This is an emergency and needs to be treated as such,” said Oparanya.

This comes a week after the government concluded the phase 1 of issuing support to residents of Arid and Semi-Arid counties. The beneficiaries received physical food stuffs like maize, beans and canned meat.

The government also issued funds through cash transfer programmes.

The government spokesperson Colonel (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna said that government is committed to supporting those affected by biting famine, promising that no Kenyan will die of hunger.