The Kenyan government Thursday delivered emergency relief supplies to neighboring Somalia, just a week after twin bombing attacks jolted the country, reported The East African.
According to a statement by the Kenyan military, some 4,244kgs of emergency relief consignment included assorted food items and various assorted medical supplies.
The statement said the relief aid was in response to last week’s bombings in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu that left at least 120 people dead.
“We feel the pain that our brothers and sisters in Somalia are feeling and we are grateful to President William Ruto for this initiative which will help alleviate the suffering of our neighbours,” said Colonel Victor Kang’ethe, the Commandant VIP wing at the Embakasi airport terminal.
Kenya’s Ambassador to Somalia, Thomas Chepkuto who received the consignment at the Aden Abdulle airport, said terrorism has no boundaries and partnership is key in the fight against it.
Notably, a fourth season of failed rains is causing one of the worst droughts East Africa has seen in decades.
In related news, the Kenyan government allocated 2 billion Kenyan shillings ($16.4 million) earlier this week for food relief to more than 4 million people affected by a severe drought in many parts of the country.
President William Ruto said the government is working with development partners to raise another 10 billion shillings ($82.3million) to ensure no part of the country is unfairly affected by drought.
Ruto said that the funds add to a previous allocation of 3.2 billion shillings ($26.3 million) for the purchase of relief food. The government said it had taken measures to fight the drought and combat climate change, which he said is the root cause of the adverse weather patterns around the world.
According to the UN, an estimated 4.1 million people in Kenya are food-insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance.
