This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
On September 5, 2019, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa unveiled a task force to tackle the country's long-standing issue of famine and drought.
The taskforce, which has been given two months to complete its mandate, aims to find a more efficient and timely way for the government to intervene in drought situations without any Kenyan dying from famine.
According to Mr. Wamalwa, the taskforce will identify existing systems for providing relief support to vulnerable populations and establish criteria for cash transfers in lieu of food.
He noted that the government has been providing relief food to affected populations for the past 50 years, with the Chakula kwa Jamii programme disbursing Sh2 billion to 1.6 million needy Kenyans in 13 arid and semi-arid counties during the 2017/2018 drought.
Mr. Wamalwa expressed his desire to build on the success of the Chakula kwa Jamii programme, which was implemented in collaboration with Safaricom, and hopes that in two years, all food relief would be technologically driven with money transfers instead of real food distribution.
The taskforce is a multi-sectorial and multi-agency initiative, comprising members from various ministries, the National Drought Management Authority, and the World Food Programme.
