News
2m risk starving as drought bites
Vata Mbwika recieving her ration of (mwolyo) famine relief food in Athi location Mbooni. Nearly two million Kenyans face imminent starvation following crop failure in parts of Eastern and Rift Valley. PHOTO/ FILE
Posted Monday, January 5 2009 at 20:58
In Summary
- Some farmers said their children would have to drop out of school because they have nothing to sell to raise money for fees
Others said that their children would have to drop out of school due to lack of fees.
“We won’t have anything to sell to raise fees this time,” a farmer said.
The residents said they would not have seed to plant in the next season.
Mr Maina noted that the area received reduced rains, resulting in crop failure.
“Crop failure in the current season will further complicate the already precarious food situation in the province,” the official said.
Rise in food prices
Poor harvests in the previous season and drought in the current one had led to scarcity of food in this area. The shortage has precipitated a rise in food prices, which had negatively affected several households in the area.
Food scarcity is expected to continue into the next season, and residents are bracing themselves for tough times ahead.
Agriculture experts have advised farmers to start planting crops like cassava, cow peas and sweet potatoes, which do well even when there is little rain, in order to enhance food security.
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Submitted by HillaryioPosted January 06, 2009 10:40 AM
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Submitted by JOBWAPILI
Kivuitu and his team of fired commissioners are still demanding shs 500 million as gratuity from Treasury when many IDPs are still in camps and millions in Ukambani are literally starving. Where is moral leadership in Kenya? Can Kibaki and his ilk like Muthaura please allow Raila some room to address these issues instead of proposing to lease fertile Tana River land to Qataris. If we address land reforms, our food production automatically will increase.
Posted January 06, 2009 01:32 AM -
Submitted by MichaOlga
We are in the 21st Century, are planning to make Nairobi a metropolitan city, make it pretty and why lie it is pretty right now...and here guys are dying coz the rains refused to fall! The government, rather than plan for things like drought/ famine...would rather make the city, One city pretty for the tourists and visitors...
Posted January 05, 2009 10:51 PM
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While Kenyans are dying of starvation, both Raila and Kibaki are busy doing what they know best: playing politics. If Kenya was a serious country, this kind of issue would have been declared a state emergency. Then the daily politicking could have been put aside until Kenyans have enough to eat. Oh, ooops, I forget that we IDPs in this country, never mind. Let's hope that rapture happens soon.