Koskei downplays famine fears

Fears of a food shortage were dismissed on Wednesday with an assurance that the country had enough reserves.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei was emphatic that the 17 famine-stricken counties had enough food.

He spoke only days after the Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning Anne Waiguru warned of a looming famine due to severe drought.
“We have enough food stored in these counties,” he told journalists yesterday at the ministry’s headquarters in Kilimo House, Nairobi.

“We urge county governments to improve the mechanisms of delivering the food. They have been given money. The National Government should only concentrate on infrastructure and markets.”

He spoke at the signing of a project marking the start of the one million acre Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Scheme. An Israeli firm, Green Arava, is expected to raise food production in the scheme using modern technology.

CONCERNS OF DECLINING SUPPLIES

Concerns of declining food supply heightened on Tuesday when Ms Waiguru, the National Drought Management Authority and the Kenya Red Cross announced that food supply in almost half the counties was critical.

She said more than 1.5 million Kenyans in 23 counties were at risk of starvation. But Mr Koskei said the latest assessment showed there were sufficient food reserves.

He gave a breakdown of stocks held in silos in the counties. It showed those counties had food balances. Poor distribution is the problem.

Mr Koskei said at the end of July there were approximately 9.8 million bags of maize in the Strategic Grain Reserve or being held by farmers, traders, millers and food firms.

In addition, the informal flow of maize into Kenya from other East African countries is estimated at 1.8 million bags, giving a total of 11.5 million bags against a monthly consumption of 3.8 million bags. 

“We will harvest 5.5 million bags by October. The total requirement for three months is 11.6 million bags,” he said.