Ten thousand residents benefit from relief rations

Ten thousand families in Mandera are to benefit from relief food supplies from the county government in efforts to combat Covid-19.
Governor Ali Roba today flagged off seven trucks ferrying the relief rations for distribution across the county as part of the intervention measures to Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have identified over 86,000 vulnerable households in need of support. We have however picked about 10,000 households most desperately in need of food assistance for the next three months from April to June 2020,” Mr Roba said.
Addressing elated residents who had gathered outside the county headquarters in Mandera town to witness the launch of the supplies, Mr Roba said his administration through the Special Programmes department had assessed and mapped out the most vulnerable members of the community in the seven sub-counties up to the village level.
In Mandera East, some 2250 families are to get the relief donations under the Countywide Emergency Relief Food distribution while 904 families are targeted in Lafey sub-county.
In Banisa, some 1230 families are to get the food supplies, Mandera South (1610 households), Kutulo (890), Mandera West (1080) and Mandera North (3210).
“This population include the most vulnerable, Dugsi/Madarasa teachers, those living with HIV, Internally Displaced Persons and people living with similar conditions,” Mr Roba who was accompanied by County Secretary Abdinur Maalim, Finance executive Ibrahim Hassan and his Water counterpart Mohamed Ali, said.
The distribution of 693 tons of foodstuff launched by Mr Roba including 450 tons of rice, 150 tons of beans and 93 tons of cooking oil will be given to targeted beneficiaries monthly for the next three months across the vast Mandera County’s seven sub-counties.
The governor who is serving his second term after being re-elected in 2017 polls on Jubilee Party ticket was happy that his government’s relief distribution efforts were being complimented by World Food Programme through its agents on the ground KOKOP.
From today (Wednesday), Mr Roba said, the relief agency was to start distributing 470 tons of sorghum, beans and cooking oil “across the three sub-counties where they operate normally.”
“We thank WFP and KOKOP for this good gesture and call upon other organisations to emulate this example,” Mr Roba said.
The governor called for more support to “save lives of our people and their livestock.”
He urged the national government, Non-Governmental Organisations and other development partners to support needy people in the county.
“So, as we flag off these programs today, let’s pray Almighty Allah to protect our people from this pandemic and have mercy on His Ummah, for, the best solutions are only those that come from Allah all the times,” Mr Roba said.
The relief rations, a resident Ms Fartun Ali said, was a blessing to the mainly Muslim community in the county and pastoralists currently observing the holy month of Ramadan which involves fasting.
The county has eight Covid-19 patients who are currently in isolation at the Mandera Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Due to the high number of the disease cases, Mandera has been placed under lockdown with the national government banning road and air travel into and out of the border county.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak has also led to closure of Kenya-Somalia and Kenya-Ethiopia borders.
“The above coupled with the onset of the Holy month of Ramadhan has exposed the vulnerable families to serious food insecurity challenges. The combinations of all the above factors have contributed a lot of hardship to the vulnerable population of our county,” Mr Roba noted.