Kajiado: Parents, elders line up with children in schools for food as drought bites
Parents and the elderly in Kajiado County are
joining their children in school to get a plate of food during lunch as the
ongoing drought and consequent hunger continues to bite.
According to Ilbisil Primary School head teacher
Daniel Lantai, the school has resorted to serve the parents small portions of
the food as they say some of them literally beg for food.
And so for about a week now, as pupils diligently
line up for lunch, so do a handful of parents with their plates in hand.
Ann Santila, one such parent, said: “Hakuna
chakula nyumbani...anakufa ng’ombe, mbuzi imekufa ata punda...yaani hakuna kwa
nyumba kitu chochote.”
Santira Siaraka, yet another, stated: “Badala
ya kuenda kuiba si niende kukula na watoto? Ata mwalimu wa hapa anatusaidianga
sana sana sisi wakongwe.”
So dire is the situation that some parents
opt to join cooks when preparing lunch, to pick up grains that they can carry
back home to cook for their families. The situation has put a strain on the school’s resources.
Head teacher Lantai said: “Inaleta changamoto
kwa boarding sababu sasa itaisha kabla ya siku na ata saa hii fees wazazi
hawalipi...fees tunategemea low cost ya serikali na ndio tunatumia kununua
chakula na pia kulipa watu na kununua maji na stima.”
A report published by the Kenya Food Security
Steering Group reveals that 5.4 million Kenyans could face acute food shortage
by June this year.
The National Drought Management Authority (NDMA)
indicates that 2.6 million livestock deaths have been reported in the country
as a result of the ongoing drought.
Counties outside the ASAL region such as
Machakos, Elgeyo Marakwet and Murang’a also suffering the devastating effects
of drought.
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