Red Cross launches campaign to mitigate drought

Red Cross launches campaign to mitigate drought

The Kenya Red Cross Society on Friday appealed to Kenyans to help it raise a billion shillings as part of its efforts to mitigate the ongoing drought.

Speaking at the Kenya Red Cross offices in Nairobi, Secretary General, Abbas Gullet, said this will enable the society move aid to over 2 million Kenyans affected by drought further singling out Marsabit as the worst hit.

Gullet says the campaign targets 340,000 families in 13 most affected counties among them Garissa, Isiolo, Mandera, Kilifi, Kwale, Tana River and Lamu with an aim of providing water, food, vouchers and cash.

The appeal comes just a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the government will double distribution of relief food in Marsabit County to help mitigate the effects of drought.

The President, who was addressing Marsabit residents on Thursday, January 26, also added that the government is reviewing its budget to allocate more funds for the purchase of food to assist those affected by drought.

“We are reviewing the budget to step up distribution of relief food in the affected counties,” President Kenyatta said.

The government has since banned the export of maize as a measure to ensure food security during this drought period.

The President had earlier on directed government agencies including the National Youth Service and other security agencies to be involved in food and water distribution.

Other measures undertaken by the government include livestock off take programs, provision of supplements and vaccines for livestock, upscale of school feeding programmes and scaling up of other relief transfers.

Tags:

lamu Drought FAMINE food water KWALE garissa Mandera isiolo Tana River Kilifi relief food cash Kenya Red Cross Society Abbas Gullet distribution of relief food mitigate the ongoing drought vouchers

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