SPECIAL CABINET MEETING - Aug, 11th 2009

A special meeting of Cabinet will be held on Tuesday this week to deliberate on ways and means of containing the serious famine that has hit many parts of the country due to prolonged drought, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka has said.

Mr. Musyoka described the current situation of famine in the country as serious and assured Kenyans that everything possible was being done to avert the situation from getting out of control.

"The famine situation is serious that it needs urgent intervention. In fact, in a place like Mwingi district, over 70 percent of the total population is in dire need of food. The same thing applies to many other areas in the country,'' said Mr. Musyoka.

"The government will on Tuesday announce the steps that will be taken to save the lives of those people who are being hit by famine,'' he added.

Speaking at Mivukoni secondary school during a funds drive in aid of the school, Mr. Musyoka said the Government has recalled primary school pupils from Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASAL) from their August/September holiday to go back to their respective schools so that they could benefit from the schools feeding programmes which have been revived in learning institutions.

Famine

Earlier, Mr. Musyoka had addressed wananchi at Matuu and Mwingi and Kithyoko trading centres.

He said the government was concerned about the serious famine situation which has been compounded by prolonged drought and was exploring all avenues of containing the situation, assuring that nobody will be left to die of hunger.


"President Mwai Kibaki has resolved to convene a meeting of Cabinet committees this Tuesday to work on ways of solving the perennial problem of famine among other issues in the country,'' said Mr. Musyoka.

The Vice President was accompanied by Northern Kenya and other Arid areas minister Mr. Mohamed Elmi, assistant ministers Adan Duale (Livestock) Mahamud Mohammed (Energy), Mahalim Mohammed (Special Progrmames and MPs Johnstone Muthama (Kangundo), Peter Mwati (Limuru), Abdul Bahari (Isiolo South), Sophia Abdi (nominated), Mohammed Affey (nominated) and former Kisumu West MP Kennedy Nyagudi among others.