County Governments map 1.9M Households requiring food support due to Covid-19

Chairman of the Council of Governors Wickliffe Oparanya addressing the press in Kisumu today-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

 By Dickson Odhiambo

  

 May 27, 2020

County Governments map 1.9M Households requiring food support due to Covid-19

The County Governments have mapped 1.9 Million Households that require food support due to livelihood challenges related to COVID 19. 

The Council of Governors Chairman Wickliffe Oparanya says out of the 1.9M households mapped, counties have prioritized 742, 038 homes for food aid through cash transfer, e-voucher and in kind food distribution. 

 

Addressing the press in Kisumu today, Oparanya said so far 9 County Governments have been able to mobilize sh 1.087 Billion to support this initiative. 

The Council of Governors say it appreciate the support by National Government to 250,000 households in ten counties and urge that the program be expanded to cover all the 47 counties.

The Council has noted that the ongoing floods have washed away crops in over 100,000 acres of land, adding that County Governments are working with the affected farmers by supporting them with provision of seeds for replanting as well as funds to reclaim their farms. 

The Council has urged the National Government and other development partners to support counties in this noble intervention.

Oparanya says the council is also aware that some food transporters are experiencing challenges of paying cess in some counties during this Covid-19 period.

“We reiterate the commitment of all County Governments not to charge cess for the transportation of food stuff across the country during this period,” Oparanya says.

Whereas Counties are making strides towards combating the pandemic, Counties are experiencing a number of challenges.

He says the National Treasury is yet to disburse the 5 Billion Kenya Shillings to the County Governments that His Excellency the President announced as support towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The National Treasury is also yet to disburse the shs 353 Million Shillings donated by the Danish Embassy towards this fight in the levels two and three health facilities. As the pandemic spreads rapidly to the Counties, Kenyans should be aware that there is adequate funding and we should not be held accountable for failure to act because the resources are being withheld by the National Treasury,” he says.

On the issue of floods, the Council has noted that over 50% of land in 20 Counties is currently submerged.

“Accessibility in these Counties is a challenge because the road infrastructure has also collapsed. As a result, health facilities across these counties are inaccessible. In Tana River, for example, 22 out of 55 health facilities have been cut off. We note and also thank His Excellency the President for setting aside funds for the repair of among others, the road network. We urge those with the responsibility of disbursement to undertake a quick assessment across the counties and disburse these funds so that the reconstruction work can start immediately,” Oparanya further adds.

The Council has further noted that water Service Providers are struggling to meet their operational costs and thus accumulating huge electricity bills, failing to pay salaries and procure water treatment chemicals.

“While the National COVID-19 response committee gave the directive for free supply of water to informal settlements, the committee did not provide for funding for the revenue gap,” he says.

The council has urged the Food Supply and County Government Coordination Committee headed by CS Peter Munya to prioritize funding the water supply as they also focus on health and food security aspects.

The Council at the same time welcomes the decision by the Court of Appeal which states that Health is a devolved function and that the National Government cannot take back the functions of County Governments without following the provisions of Article 187 of the Constitution. 

“With this judgment in place, we encourage the union of health workers to reach out to the Council of Governors so that we can chart a way to work together to ensure that the lives of the citizens are protected by providing the highest attainable standard of health,”

ENDS: