A permanent solution is needed for famine now and in the future

News & SocietyNews

  • Author Esteri Maina
  • Published April 29, 2009
  • Word count 505

Apparently, in less than three months, our country has been struck by one type of disaster after another, with pounding severity.

At least, the fire disasters that stole the souls of our dearly loved brothers and sisters have now ceased in both severity and frequency and it is a good thing.

The other major problem nowadays is hunger at different parts of the country and stories of truly hungry Kenyans especially in Turkana districts are appearing on the media every single day.

It is even becoming embarrassingly obvious that because they have got nothing to eat, wild fruits that are to the extreme, poisonous, have become their everyday source of food.

Eating wild fruits is something those who grew up in the farms did and are still doing not because of hunger but because it is a children fun activity.

Never in those days when I was young did I see adults eating wild fruits, in any case, we ate them in hiding to prevent thorough beatings.

Now that I am a grown up, it pains me to see that even the adults in Turkana land do not have a choice other than these fruits.

Back in those days, my punishment was a few beatings and I would still eat more the following day, while these people have a much bigger price to pay like diarrhea or death if they do not eat them.

This is not the first time that people from these very arid and underdeveloped parts of our country have gone for a long time without food and water.

What they need right now is an urgent help with food donations they can eat but this will definitely not be the end of their hunger, if a long-term solution will not be found by the government.

It is times like these that many of us wish such people could be given the unconditional attention they have not benefited from for many years back.

They are not only suffering from food shortage but other important social amenities are both few and distant.

It is only a small number of of us who can survive in such harsh climatic conditions and poverty, which is why the Turkana men and women are creditable.

Very critical decisions now need to be made concerning how such a problem alone can be met in the future without having to depend on other well wishers to donate maize.

Rain is also very little annually in these parts and therefore dams and boreholes would be a good forward step to at least ensure that these people are encouraged to grow their own food crops in the future.

In the mean time, all Kenyans and me are only looking up to the government to bring these people food because it would be upsetting to loose more lives through hunger.

Tribute also goes to the people of this entire nation for contributing their donations in form of food, prayers, or in whichever way, because it shows that they care for each other.

An original article by Esteri Maina HUNGER

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