On the outskirts of Mandera town lies Mohammed Ali Qanjara, 70 years old, who is bedridden and in a very weak state. His family, which is dependent on scraps, has no fixed source of income.
Not far from there, a visually impaired local Abdullahi Wabe Adan is being taken out of his house to see the county officials. His wife and kids, who are also mentally challenged, live together and thus face the problem of the nature severely.
The two families are only some of the 15,000 vulnerable residents that the Mandera County Government has identified as the recipients of food aid in the face of a drought that is getting worse in the area.
Today, personnel from the Department of Special Programs are seen on the ground distributing food to the beneficiaries as part of relief measures put in place and already in motion in the county. Following the dry spell that may last long and with short rains that are unpredictable, the county has taken emergency steps.
More than 235 tonnes of rice and cooking oil have been stored in a county food storage facility, where they are being packed into vehicles for distribution that will commence tomorrow.
While the event was going on, Mandera County Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif said that the situation caused by drought had gone beyond a terrible tragedy and was almost at the stage of an emergency in the region. “The drought situation keeps worsening, and immediate action is needed. There are some partners and agencies whom I would like to appeal to that, if they will, to help, by joining hands, the trickle of effort that we have in place to alleviate hunger in the people,” Governor Khalif said.
He stressed the need for the county, the national government, and humanitarian partners to collaborate on strategies that would help the region be better prepared for drought and food security issues.
Mandera County is located in the greater North Eastern region that has been severely affected by the trend of failed rains over the last few seasons and this has, therefore, led to the shortage of food and water, which are the most basic needs, becoming acute.
The county government has stated that it is committed to continuing with the relief food distribution as its top priority and also the long-term resilience measures necessary to ensure that people’s livelihoods are safe even if the dry conditions continue.
