Daniel Nyassy, Galgalo Bocha
24 June 2008
Nairobi — At least 15,000 residents of Garsen in Tana Delta District urgently need relief food following the destruction of their crops by floods.
Area MP Danson Mungatana who is also Medical Services assistant minister has urged the Ministry of Agriculture to provide farmers with seed for replanting.
He made the call after a tour of the area to assess the situation. Chara and Cha Mwanamuma locations were the worst affected. The assistant minister urged Mumias Sugar Company to start operations at their Sh24 billion project, saying all requirements had been met. "They have a licence and everything else has been finalised, let them start the project immediately so that the youth can get jobs," he said. The MP urged the company to give priority to local people during recruitment.
Encroach
The project has been vehemently opposed by the pastoral community in the district, with the Orma and Wardei cattle herders saying that the project will encroach on their grazing land.
The Government, however, sanctioned the project with President Kibaki giving it the green light at a public rally during a visit to Garsen last year. Meanwhile, a Malindi church has donated a Sh250,000 boat to help ferry sick and elderly flood victims to health centres. The International Pentecostal Church programme officer, Ms Lucy Chengo, said some villagers were unable to access medical services after floods cut off their homes. She appealed to donors and well-wishers to come to the assistance of the more than 1,800 families that lost their sources of livelihood in the floods.
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