29^th January, 2009.

A LITTLE FOOD ON THE TABLE…

Call it survival when all hope is gone, when hunger looms, people search for the unimaginable never minding whether it is a threat to their health or not, somehow, the stomach demands have to be met.

The horrific scene of women rummaging for food from a lorry that just came to offload garbage at the Mwakirunge dumping site, Mombasa.

Having declared the food crisis as a National disaster, the president left the citizens with no option but to find something for their stomachs, it did not matter how or where the food was supposed to come from, citizens searched for food anywhere they could stumble on.

While some Kenyan women sold their bodies for as less as Ksh. 20 just to access food, others were boiling mangoes while others were feeding on raw cassavas. Others were eating from the garbage.

Mwakirunge residents just like other Kenyans, were trying to aid themselves having lost hope on the government ever knocking at their doors with food. We witnessed a very heartrending scene.

On our way to the site, a lorry carrying garbage was heading to offload at the Mwakirunge dumping site where all garbage from Mombasa is dumped, so we let it get ahead of us that we could have a clear picture of what unveils at the site. Through the dry land and dusty paths we drove then finally we arrived at the scene

Even before the lorry was done offloading the garbage, the residents were on it, grabbing all the trash their energy could allow and packing them in sacks so that later on they’d sort them out and see if they could find anything edible.

It is from what we observed that we felt the need to reach out to their needs and give the little that CWID could offer at that time since it was an emergency call, fortunately we managed to find a sponsor who was willing to help us.

A week later, accompanied by the local authorities we took three bags of maize, a bag of beans, six boxes of cooking fat and children’s clothing. At first the residents were a bit resistant and aggressive sighting that the food was very little but they realized it was better than having nothing.

We thank God that CWID was able to put food on the tables of some of Mwakirunge residents, though we know the little we gave could not last a lifetime but we hope to get more sponsors and reach out to many others who have been gravely affected by the looming hunger.

A girl carrying food from the dumping site.

Though Mwakirunge is an extremely dry area but with a beautiful landscape, the residents seem to have lost hope in farming as a source of food or income, CWID however believes that the residents can involve themselves in other income generating projects that would boost their economic status.

It was a challenging task especially working with some of the local authorities from the government, they could not understand that we went there for the poor who had nothing to feed on, some of the authorities acted selfishly, some demanded for money while others thought we had carried some extra food for them.

It was as if they did not have any remorse for their starving residents, the same people who put them on the positions they own. Even the security officers from the government could not feel the impact of what CWID was doing, they also wanted to be paid for their services.

It is a shame to the government officials who have been implicated in the maize saga and the hunger crisis because it is from their evil actions that thousands of Kenyans have been rendered ravenous. Their selfishness have left Many Kenyans rummaging for food in the garbage like vultures while they are comfortably dining in their posh rooms and driving classy vehicles.

CWID distributing food to the Mwakirunge residents.

The hunger crisis in Kenya is as a result of poor governance because our MPs do not even pay tax while they seek tax from the poor Kenyans who are starving and feeding from the garbage. In Kenya we have the greatest amount of uncultivated fertile land and at the same time an alarming number of starving people.

The government should be on the forefront in educating Kenyans on how to manage climate change and its disaster risks, currently they have turned deaf ears on the citizens, they don’t realize that the food crisis is in itself insecurity and unconstitutional.

CWID is calling for well-wishers who are willing to donate food or assist in any way to collaborate with us so that we can help save the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters.