Turkish food aid a lifeline for starving Kenyans

By Andrew Wasike and Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya

Turkey’s aid agency Tuesday provided vital foodstuffs for thousands of people in one of the worst-affected areas of drought-stricken Kenya.

Crowds gathered in Malkamari in Mandera county to receive the food aid packages -- including nine kilograms of beans, 32 kg of rice, five liters of cooking oil, and salt -- destined for 585 needy households courtesy of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ahmet Guc, the agency’s deputy program coordinator, said, “TIKA hopes the food rations will sustain the families in the short term as they cope with the harsh climatic conditions in Mandera.”

Guc added that Turkey has vowed to continue supporting Kenya through its aid agency to cushion the effects of the drought and ensure that no lives are lost. He thanked volunteers from the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) for assisting in the food distribution.

Most of the beneficiaries are nomadic pastoralists who have recently lost their animals to the drought due to lack of pasture land.

One of the villagers told TIKA, “We are happy and delighted with the food support we have received today and extend our appreciation to the Turkish government.”

In February Kenya declared its three-year drought a national disaster, calling on foreign countries to step in and provide food aid for its starving citizens.

The biting drought has left over 11 million people in East Africa starving, with more than 3.7 million people in need of food aid in Kenya alone.