Nyeri senator Wahome Wamatinga has started a programme to distribute porridge flour in 30 Nyeri schools from the areas that are worst hit by drought.
The senator said that they identified the schools from the most venerable areas such as the informal settlements and the drought-stricken areas.
“We have initiated a pilot programme where we will be giving porridge to schools which are most venerable. It has come to our attention that most of the learners are going to school without having taken any meal and I took a personal initiative to start the Uji programme for the remainder of the term before things get out of hand,” Wamatinga said.
He said the county government, the business community, well-wishers and all other leaders should join hands to ensure that the school-going children do not miss a meal.
Speaking at Nyakinyua primary School in Witemere slums on the outskirts of Nyeri town, Wamatinga said that as a result of the drought the number of children going to school has drastically dropped and they have to look for ways to ensure they remain in school.
“Most children are facing starvation and some have even stopped attending schools as they have nothing to eat. This school has a population of about 400 learners and those in school are around 250. We have to look for ways to ensure that they do not miss classes,” he said.
Wamatinga called on the government to declare the drought a National disaster as many Kenyans have been affected.
We are urging President William Ruto to declare hunger a national disaster so that the necessary intervention can be put in place” he said.
He also said as legislators they will act to change the law on the construction of dams to allow public-private partnerships in order to address the issue of agriculture.
“We as the legislatures and the people entrusted to take care of the legislative and the oversight agenda of the county, are preparing ourselves to take to the parliament the change of
the law so that we can have a possibility of doing a public-private partnership because over-reliance on budget have hampered some development projects that could have already been undertaken,” he said.
He said that there has to be a change in the way things have been done in the past in order to hasten the development of projects
which will benefit Kenyans.
