2,500 households face starvation in Kiambu County's Ndeiya area

Over 2500 homesteads in Ndeiya in Kiambu County’s Limuru are facing imminent hunger following the drought that has hit the region for two years.

The severe drought is now threatening households as well as animals even as it cripples the local economy that relies on farming and herding.

Local administrators are now fearing that the hunger might affect school going children if mitigation measures are not taken urgently.

James Mwaura, the area chief, says the badly hit villages include Rwacumari, Ndiuni, Thigio and Kiawanda where most families can only afford one meal a day, often ugali or githeri.

“We have very good schools in Ndeiya which perform well. We are apprehensive that if this drought is not contained or mitigated, the gains of good schools may be eroded by hunger,” Mwaura said.

“Ndeiya, as a sub-county, relies on rain fed agriculture and, for the last two years, crops have failed, a situation that has had many families staring at hunger. Animals, which are the other life line for Ndeiya people, have also been badly affected,” Mwaura said

The chief appealed to the government to intervene and save the situation as soon as it is humanly possible to alleviate this suffering.

“It is by luck that the government, through tap to eat programme, is having many kids being fed in their respective schools. It is worrying, however, that many children do not get any other meal after school, which is not healthy for any growing children,” Mwaura said.

He said that when he was scouting the village in bid to have 100 per cent transition, he came face to face with the situation where the administrators would buy some families flour for a meal.

Mwaura told The standard the last time Ndeiya got relief food was in 2022 when the government brought maize, flour rice and cooking oil .

“Since then, we have never seen any attention and we have not had any significant rains,” Mwaura noted .

He asked farmers and residents to consider planting crops that take a shorter time to mature if the expected rains come.

Okaka Etyang, Ndeiya Sub-county Deputy County Commissioner says the area is semi arid but does not have a drought management officer who can help  monitor drought issues and offer mitigation advisory.

“If we had a drought management officer, we would be having accurate statistics on the extent of hunger and the affected households,” Etyang said.

A spotcheck by The standard revealed a dire situation that requires attention as all crops have withered.

Residents could also be seen with jerrycans and donkey carts fetching water.