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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Kenyans raise Sh82m in a week for food aid

Young children flag off trucks with relief food on July 31, 2011 at Nairobi's Uhuru Park. The food was contributed by 'Kenyans for Kenya' in support of people starving in Turkana.
Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI Young children flag off trucks with relief food on July 31, 2011 at Nairobi's Uhuru Park. The food was contributed by 'Kenyans for Kenya' in support of people starving in Turkana.  
By NATION Reporter
Posted  Monday, August 1  2011 at  22:30

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More than 250,000 Kenyans have so far contributed to the Kenyans for Kenya relief kitty.
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As at 5.30pm on Monday, Sh82 million had been raised through Safaricom’s PayBill line 111111, Airtel Money, KCB account 11 33 33 33 38  and Nakumatt.
The response to the distress call comes just a day after the first consignment of food aid to the affected areas in northern Kenya left Nairobi after a public flag-off at Uhuru Park.
Launched last week, Kenyans for Kenya is an initiative supported by the Safaricom Foundation, KCB Foundation, corporate organisations and the Media Owners Association aimed at raising over Sh500 million in four weeks to address a mix of short, medium and long-term intervention measures to ease the humanitarian crisis in northern Kenya.
“The response by Kenyans has just been overwhelming; out of every 10 shoppers at Nakumatt, seven are donating. Kenyans are showing enormous compassion for their brothers and sisters facing famine. In just six days over Sh80 million has been raised and continues to rise,” said Kenya Red Cross Society secretary general Abbas Gullet.                
CEOs and media will visit the affected areas on Thursday. Organisations are encouraged to join the fund and their pledges will be publicly announced at a meeting on Friday at Serena Hotel.
UN agencies say Kenya is facing its worst drought in six decades, with more than 3.5 million people, mainly in northern Kenya staring death in the face.

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