Kirinyaga County to offer relief food to over 25,000 residents

Over 25,000 needy residents of Kirinyaga County are set to benefit from relief food aid program led by Governor Anne Waiguru.

The food distribution drive is the second phase of a program that kicked off in May to shield needy and vulnerable families from the effects of Covid-19 pandemic. The first phase that was in May and June saw another 20,000 residents benefit from relief aid. The food distribution program kicked off on Tuesday and is expected to end on Friday having covered over 6,500 households across the four constituencies in the county.

While commissioning the relief food distribution, to be conducted by the County Executive Committee Members, Governor Anne Waiguru said that the county’s relief aid program was continuing to help the elderly and the vulnerable groups. She urged people to continue looking out for each other during COVID-19 pandemic season and thanked the wellwishers who continued donating relief food for the vulnerable.

The County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Jackline Njogu, who led the other CEC members in the food donation drive said that the program was aimed at mitigating the impact of the pandemic on the most vulnerable residents of the county. She said that the beneficiaries received maize flour and rice and also masks which were made at the county’s Kaitheri Apparel Factory.

Julius Muchire, a beneficiary from Gichugu thanked the governor for remembering the needy people. He said that some people have been hit hard by Covid-19 to the extent of not affording basic needs such as food.
“This food will take us for a few days even as we hope for the situation to get better so that some of us can get back on our feet,” said Muchire, a casual laborer noting that the corona virus has led to reduction of job opportunities.

Despite Kirinyaga County having been ranked among the richest counties in a report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) there are still pockets of poverty especially among the elderly and people living in the informal sector. The situation has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to loss of incomes for many people and lack of help for the elderly who depend on their children and wellwishers for their survival.

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