65,000 residents facing starvation in Taita Taveta

TAITA TAVETA COUNTY: Thousands of residents are facing a humanitarian and health crisis due to lack of food and water.

Sunday, the county government sent out an appeal for relief food supplies for more than 65,000 people, warning of possible deaths if aid does not start arriving soon.

Governor John Mruttu said farmers in the county recorded low yields in the last harvest, adding that reports have already begun to emerge that children are dropping out of school and some livestock have perished from lack of water and pasture.

He said locations worst hit by the famine include Jibe, Mwachabo, Bura, Kishushe, Mwakitau and Kasigau.

It is also feared that if the famine persists, it will trigger cases of human-wildlife conflict.

On Thursday last week, an elderly woman was killed and another person seriously injured at Mbulia-Mlilo village in Voi by a marauding elephant from the neighbouring Tsavo National Park.

“The County Steering Group Technical Committee has already carried out a food security assessment and the report indicates that the number of people in dire need of relief food has gone up. I have also sent an alert to the national government for intervention,” he said.

Mruttu’s appeal comes amid reports of rising number of school drop-outs and deaths of livestock as a result of diminishing water and pastures in the grazing fields.

The governor was speaking at his office yesterday when he launched the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) Feeding programme for 2,000 pupils in the region.

The feeding programme is part of the rapid result initiatives (RRI) that will be rolled out in 40 ECDE centres in areas worst hit by persistent famine in the county.

LOW YIELDS

“The region anticipated high crop production during the short rains last year but in vain. There was also dismal production during the 2013 long rains season due to poor rains. As a result, major crops like maize in some areas like Voi and Mwatate registered a total failure,” said the county’s drought situation report.

The report further indicates that perennial floods in Taveta sub-county are to blame for food shortage in the county given that it destroys crops at the farms.

“Malnutrition levels have increased to 3.2 per cent against the two per cent recorded at this time in a normal year. Maize and beans are available but inaccessible due to high prices,” the report said.

Speaking to The Standard Sunday, Agriculture County Executive Ben Mgana confirmed that the county is facing serious food shortage compared to past years.

Mgana said the county government has already spent more than Sh1.27 billion to purchase relief supplies to feed famine-stricken residents in the region.

He said the county administration has so far distributed more than 18 tonnes of maize, sorghum, millet and cow peas worth over Sh3 million to farmers in the region.

“The region has a huge food deficit. We are buying relief supplies from Eastern Province and Tanzania to feed famine-stricken residents,” he said.