Wycliff Kipsang And Macharia Mwangi
21 August 2008
Nairobi — More than 170,000 people in Keiyo District are staring starvation in the face following dwindled rainfall in the region early this year.
A survey by Nation revealed that most families were facing a maize deficit after exhausting all their stock.
According to the district agriculture officer, Mr Raphael Kittony, the area required 144,000 bags of maize for a year but there are fears that the quantity may not be realised.
"The scanty rainfall received in the area is likely to affect the produce adversely" Mr Kittony said.
Presenting his report on the food situation in the district to heads of various departments in Iten, Mr Kittony revealed that out of 15,000 hectares that was supposed to be prepared for planting this year, only 8,000 was tilled.
He attributed the trend to the price of fuel, which had been sky-rocketing in the past three months.
Mr Kittony said that of all the land prepared for planting last year, only 70 per cent was planted due to high prices of inputs, which the farmers could not afford.
According to the officer, maize farming is expected to drop from 30 bags to five per hectares if the area continues experiencing unreliable rains, especially the northern part of Keiyo.
Following this, Mr Kittony said the district urgently needs 13,000 bags of maize to take them to November.
It also emerged that at Tambach and Soy divisions, prices of food crops have shot up.
A bag of maize now sells at about Sh1,800 while a bag of beans costs between Sh4,400 and Sh4,450 according to the type of beans.
Barley and millet have not been spared either. A bag of barley now goes at Sh1, 800 while millet sells at Sh3,400 a bag.
Meanwhile, residents of semi-arid parts of Maai Mahiu in Naivasha District are appealing to the Government for famine relief supplies.
The area suffered drought early in the year causing crop failure.
Area councillor John Gikonyo led the residents in appealing for relief food.
The councillor said that many residents of Maai Mahiu were peasants who depended on subsistence farming.
"Drought destroyed the crops, and most families did not have any food in their stores," said Mr Gikonyo.
The hardest hit areas are Muniu and Satellite.
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