Raila hails Kenya's response on drought relief

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has described the government’s response to the drought ravaging parts of the Horn of Africa as the best in the last five years.

Mr Odinga has also suggested that refugees crossing over from Somalia, where the drought has compounded that country’s problems, be screened to reduce the chances of the infiltration of the Al Shaabab.

Mr Odinga told Parliament in his weekly address that the government’s preparations for the famine have resulted in a better response and a reduced number of the starving.

He put the cost of the government’s current interventions at Sh10.9 billion.

“If the government had not acted with the speed and organisation it has, this country and this region would be faced with a harsher situation that it has now,” said Mr Odinga.

Said Mr Odinga, on the refugee situation: “We are paying more than our share for this crisis. That’s why we are asking the international government to come in and help.”

But MPs expressed doubt about the government’s effort on relief efforts and said the government has not done enough to prevent the loss of human and animal life due to the lack of enough food and water.

Turkana Central MP Ekwee Ethuro said the efforts by the government are too little and are coming in too late, leaving Kenyans in Northern and Eastern Kenya threatened by starvation.

“The Prime Minister is sitting pretty in his new office. Mr Prime Minister, call us some time and we’ll tell you the truth,” he said.

He said there had been no supply of relief food to Turkana in the months of April, May, June and July.

Mr Odinga then tabled lists indicating the amounts supplied to different districts for the four months.

The PM said there is no reprieve in sight for the drought situation as meteorologists had predicted that only Nyanza, Western areas, Coast and Rift Valley would receive rainfall.

Mr Odinga said 500,000 bags of maize would be released from the Strategic Grain Reserve in addition to the removal of duty on maize and wheat imports.

The PM said Japan had given Kenya 14,000 tonnes of maize, of which 10,000 tonnes would be in the country next week, and the rest before the end of August.

He said the government is planning a conference in Nairobi where leaders from the six Horn of Africa countries would discuss ways to deal with the food crisis.

He said the underlying effects of the drought would be discussed as well as ways to ease the situation in future through the use of drought-resistant seeds, irrigation and the development of rural infrastructure.

Mutito MP Kiema Kilonzo wondered how it was that some people were suffering while others are harvesting yet the government has refused to buy the maize.

Kamukunji MP Gidion Mbuvi asked whether the food shortage and power rationing were a ploy by politicians ton improperly secure funding for their campaign ahead of the General Election next year.

Tempers flared when Gwassi MP John Mbadi alleged that Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta had allocated his ministry more than funds than were needed and would use funds for his presidential campaign.

Mr Mbadi had on Tuesday launched an attempt to have the budgetary allocation for the National Security Intelligence Service reduced by Sh2.7 billion, with Sh1 billion of this going to the Strategic Grain Reserve to get maize for the hungry.

But Mr Kenyatta and Defence minister Yusuf Haji protested, and were supported by Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim in forcing the MP to withdraw and apologise for his statement.