Kananu unveils feeding programme for Nairobians amid Covid-19 Pandemic
By Shadrack Musumba
Nairobi City County residents have a reason to smile after the Deputy Governor Ann Kananu unveiled the Covid-19 Feeding Program which is set to benefit Nairobi residents in all the 17 Sub Counties for the next three months.
Kananu who is also the City Acting Governor said, “Due to the high number of positive cases we have in Nairobi, our County has been placed under lock down. The outbreak of this disease has also resulted in the locking down of four (4) other counties, exposing vulnerable families to serious food insecurity challenges. The combinations of all the above factors have contributed to a lot of hardship to the vulnerable population of our County.”
Kananu observed the pandemic despite being a health issue, has become a major economic issue due to massive loss of jobs, loss of income, lack of employment opportunities and increasing poverty levels which have in effect aggravated food security issues to low income urban households with Nairobi County being the most affected.
“It is now emerging that the impact of Covid-19 on Mwanachi will be long term thus requiring an urgent strategic approach to manage going forward. The sectors that have been mainly affected are labor force, transport, and housing, health, trade, and tourism and entertainment sectors.” said Ms. Kananu.
She added that Nairobi County Government has identified over 127,500 vulnerable households in need of support.
Beneficiaries include vulnerable families, Women, People Living with Disability, those living with HIV and other chronic diseases drawn from 25,500 households most desperately in need of food assistance for the next three months from April, to June 2021
The county is set to distribute; Maize and wheat flour, sugar, rice, blankets, basins, loaves of bread, powdered milk and sanitary towels.
The items will be distributed to identified beneficiaries on a weekly basis over the next three months across all the seventeen sub-counties.
The program also seeks to vaccinate women over the age of 58 years.
The program has already covered Laini Saba and Roysambu Wards.
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