The government has so far spent Kes13 billion to buy and distribute relief food to Kenyans affected by the prolonged drought in the Country.

According to Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, the government will continue distributing relief food to the affected families.

Speaking in Garissa Township Sub County where he led a food distribution exercise, he warned that action would be taken against any officer found to have diverted the food elsewhere.

 “We have experienced low rainfalls in the last few years and it is not in Garissa only. Even in places where we used to experience enough rain are becoming drylands and so the government has spent Kes13 billion to buy relief food for Kenyans,” Duale said.

More than 45,000 families are facing starvation in Garissa County according to the National Drought Management Authority.

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The Authority in partnership with the county government is currently carrying out water trucking to affected areas, and school feeding programmes to help keep the children in school.

Additionally, a section of Non-governmental organizations and well-wishers are conducting cash transfers to vulnerable families to cushion them against the adverse effects of drought.

“We want this food to reach everyone who is suffering and we will not allow those who sell and transport relief food or those who supervise the distribution exercises to the most vulnerable members of our society to play with this food,” he added.

On his part, Garissa Township MP Dekow Mohamed said that there is a need to consider distributing more relief food in Garissa town since it is where most people who lost their livestock due to drought migrated.

“We are the most affected because people have migrated here and need this relief food too,” he said.

Dekow has called on the county government to fast-track the process of finding more permanent water solutions so that every citizen in the county can have access to clean water for both domestic use and for livestock.