Priests raise red flag on food shortage in Mwea

Twenty-nine Anglican priests on Thursday sounded the alarm over the drought ravaging Mwea East in Kirinyaga County.

Speaking on behalf of the priests, Mr Samuel Kanjobe said 40,000 residents whose crops were destroyed by the scorching sun were starving.

He spoke at St Paul Kimbimbi Church after touring Mwea East Sub-County, where maize and beans — the staple food for people in the area— are grown on a large scale.

“We have checked around and found people suffering. The situation is really serious,” Mr Kanjobe, who is in charge of Wang’uru Archdeaconry, told the Nation.

Ndindiruku Colonial Village is one of the areas hit hardest by the drought. According to Mr Kanjobe, the village covers 90,000 acres and has a population of 7,000.

The priests warned that the residents might die of hunger if urgent measures were not taken. They said the residents had been surviving only on mangoes.

PROLONGED DRY SPELL

“Crops (that) locals depend on have dried up due to a prolonged dry spell. There is no hope of harvesting anything,” Mr Kanjobe said.

He said a majority of the affected residents were getting only one meal a day, adding that relief food was required.

“Most of the residents we talked to complained that they could only afford a single meagre meal per day,” Mr Kanjobe said.

The church leaders said an acute shortage of water had hit Mwea East and locals trek long distances in search of it.

The priests said water springs and seasonal streams had dried up, particularly in South Ngariama Village.

“We are facing great hardship. We lack food because our crops withered before they matured,” resident Simon Kamanga said.