- The Cabinet Secretary for East African Community and ASALs Peninah Malonza urges ambassadors and high commissioners to fund community based projects
- She requested international friends to partner with Kenyan government in uplifting the socio-economic livelihoods and of vulnerable communities
- Some of the projects to be explored are camel milk processing plant in North Eastern, Mega Dams to supply water and drought striken regions as well as putting infrastructural development programmes
The Government of Kenya has spent Ksh 2 billion to cushion the lives and livelihoods of Kenyans affected by drought through offering relief food, emergency relief cash transfers and school feeding programme
This has been announced by The Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development Peninah Malonza, during consultative meeting with development partners on Wednesday 1st November, 2023 at Weston Hotel in Nairobi
The CS, disclosed that cash transfers under Hunger Safety Net Programme, water trucking and livestock off take are some of the initiatives government has undertake to cushion affected communities urging development partners to chip in the initiatives
“The County Government have complemented the efforts of the National Government in providing relief food assistance and scaling up cash transfers. In this efforts, the government has received support from development partners, UN agencies, NGOS and other non state actors in form of cash, food and non-food items,” CS Malonza underscored
She emphasised that government recognises the need to address humanitarian crisis differently, while responding to the urgent humanitarian needs of the people
The response must be layered and integrated with long-term development investments arrived at building adequate capacity to ensure the restorations of livelihoods and build the resilience of affected communities
While urging development partners to synergize with the government in sponsoring community based projects to cushion affected communities from multiple shocks and stressors to enhance sustainable socioeconomic developments, Malonza noted possible projects of collaborations including boreholes, resilience building and construction of mega dams
YOU ALSO MISSED: https://safinews.co.ke/nimrod-mbai-urges-cs-malonza-to-implement-presidential-directive/
The CS, pointed out the the need for development partners to support National Government and County Government in accelerating socioeconomic and infrastructure development
“My Ministry has identified key priority areas which include peace building and social-cultural integration, upgrading and digitization of regional resource centres and scaling up relief and humanitarian response to serve lives,” She remarked
Ms Malonza requested over 20 ambassadors and commissioners from international countries to fund community based projects like constructions of athi dams, agricultural development, livestock fodders, camel milk processing plants in drought affected areas to enhance socioeconomic transformation of the vulnerable communities
“I am persuaded that the blend of ideas from those noble stakeholders is a befitting kick start of a consultative process that will radically transform a thought process that will in turn lead us to have bold ideas that will help in transforming Kenya,” She added
Achievements
The Government in collaborations with development partners has championed the conceptualization and implementation of programmes and projects general towards building resilience of ASALs communities and strengthening capacity in basin-based institutions
The CS also stated that the Ministry has strengthened the resilience of communities through community based micro and high impact resilience and drought preparedness projects
Malonza described that extending relief and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable households; rehabilitation of rengelands and strengthening early warning information systemss; implementation of integrated programmes and projects in form of mega infrastructure such as the multi-purpose dams and other civil works, irrigation, domestic water supply, environmental conservation, value addition and technology transfer among others are some of initiatives for collaborations
Challenges
However, the prolonged drought occasioned by the sweeping effects of climate change- community resource based conflicts have led to insecurity and inadequate funding for the development of the projects and programmes
“Government is now supporting about 2.8 people with relief food after approximately 4.4 million people in the ASALs and a further 495 362 in nine non-traditional ASALs region faced acute food shortage and required relief assistance as well as 2.6 million livestock modalities,” she revealed