Garissa Governor Nathif Jama has called on President William Ruto to tour the Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties to witness first-hand the ravaging effects of the on-going drought on residents of the areas.
Speaking at the Garissa Farmers Training Centre during the launch of drought response initiatives, Governor Jama said the President should declare the ongoing drought a national disaster, adding that it is only after the head of state makes the visit that the crisis will be properly managed.
“I want to humbly request his Excellency the president to find some time out of his busy schedule and visit some of the Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) counties and see for himself the true picture of what is really happening,” said Jama, who chairs the ASAL Committee of the Council of Governors.
“It is only after his visit that I honestly think he will get to understand how grave the situation is. It’s only then that he will really get the full attention of the world to come to the rescue of Garissa and other ASAL counties,” he added.
The Garissa Governor pointed out that he had suspended all development programmes in his county to focus on handling the drought situation in the area, adding that several intervention measures had been put in place through joint efforts by the county government, national government and Non – Governmental Organizations.
On the same, the governor urged the national government to suspend development and infrastructure projects and instead channel the funds to drought emergency response.
“The same way we have done, I also call on the national government to urgently re-allocate any development monies earmarked for the region to drought mitigation measures like water trucking and food distribution to our people and schools,” he reiterated.
Jama also called on President Ruto to direct the military and the National Youth Service (NYS) to distribute water to drought victims in ASAL counties.
“Our military and the NYS have the capacity of supplying water. Although they are doing it in certain pockets in the affected counties, there is a need to increase their water trucking to reach more victims,” Jama said.
On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved an additional Ksh. 4 billion to the country’s drought alleviation programme in a bid to support areas ravaged by harsh climatic conditions.
In a meeting chaired by President William Ruto, the executive body said the move would help to cushion vulnerable households and children across the nation.
Meanwhile, the United States government has donated at least Ksh.16 billion in support of Kenya’s drought relief efforts.
According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the funds will help meet the urgent needs of approximately 1.3 million people across Kenya.
