20 schools may close as food shortage bites

What you need to know:

  • Local leaders are appealing for relief supplies.
  • Pupils are playing truant due to hunger as others migrate with their parents in search of food, water.

More than 20 schools in West Pokot and Turkana counties face closure due to an acute food shortage.

Leaders and education officials from the two counties are appealing for relief supplies to famine-stricken families.

“Most children are absconding school due to hunger and lack of water,” West Pokot Knut secretary Martin Sembelo said on Friday.

He claimed some parents had migrated with children in search of food interrupting their learning.

Hundreds of pastoralists in North Rift have also migrated to other areas with their animals in search of pasture.

The search for pasture is also fuelling armed conflicts. Some of them have migrated towards Uganda.

Herders in villages such as Kaputir, Kainuk, Nakwamoru, and Lorogon and Kalimorock in Turkana and Amolen and Ombolion in West Pokot are migrating towards River Turkwel and this is fuelling tension on the common border.

Pokot South MP David Pkossing asked the national government to hasten distribution of relief food to areas hit by famine.

“The dry spell has complicated food security and availability of pasture and water for animals,” said Mr Pkossing in Kapenguria.

The hard hit areas include Psurum, Shalpo, Chepkobhe and Sinetwo where families have resorted to wild fruits, vegetables and tubers.

“The government should consider distributing food to drought hit areas on monthly basis to cushion the families from starvation,” Mr Pkossing said further.

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Ann Waiguru said the government would spend Sh3 billion to supply relief food to famine-stricken areas.

Some Sh279 million from the drought contingency fund will also be given to 16 counties faced with food shortage.

Samburu, Marsabit, Isiolo, Garissa, Mandera and Wajir are some of the counties faced with food shortage and inadequate pasture and water for their animals caused by dry spell.