Leaders must help fight Lamu famine (7th May 2008)

I was appalled by a report on famine in Bargoni area of Lamu, in the Daily Nation of April 30, 2008.

While the assistant chief attributed the hunger situation to two failed harvests, it did not escape my attention that at this particular moment, the area has heavy rains and the vegetation is all green.

The picture of an emaciated old man struggling to lie down was indeed heartbreaking. His old mud walled house does not help matters either. To me, these are people living in abject poverty occasioned by either a failed economic agenda of the area, and an inadequate agricultural information system, or simply a population that has been spoilt by an administration that has been keen on giving handouts.

The local leadership has a duty to educate the people on how to tackle food security challenges. A time comes when, due to age, one might not be able to go fishing, but with little energy, one could still be able to till the land and plant some crops for their consumption.