By Murimi Gitari, November 02, 2022
Manufacturers on Friday donated over KSh 100million to support Kenyans affected by the ongoing drought in the country through a funds drive organised by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and attended by the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The Deputy President observed that the drought situation is worsening in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
“Today, over 4.35 million Kenyans across 23 counties are affected. Among the affected, 900,000 children and 120,000 pregnant and lactating mothers require urgent nutritional support. I call upon all of us to join hands to support initiatives geared towards supporting our communities. Whereas we are providing temporary relief, we need to develop long-term and sustainable solutions which shall enable us to mitigate such crises in future,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to collaborate to turn Kenya into an agricultural powerhouse, “One of the ways of surmounting food crisis is modernizing our agricultural sector. We need to enhance value addition for agricultural produce in the country and increase our focus on more sustainable projects with long-term benefits. As Government, we commit to efficient service delivery to support the local manufacturing sector.”
Kenya Association of Manufacturers Chairman, Rajan Shah noted there could not be a thriving economy if a section of the community is left out.
“Local industries have a critical role in promoting shared prosperity, alleviating poverty and bridging inequality. This calls on us all to support those affected through the provision of food assistance to households that are currently food insecure, supplies for severe and moderate acute malnutrition as well as livestock feeds and supplements. We remain committed to supplementing governments’ initiatives in socio-economic development, because our concerted efforts are essential for a better tomorrow,” the KAM Chair noted.
The KAM Humanitarian Initiative is part of the wider Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) arm of KAM – uKAMilifu.
Through uKAMilifu, the manufacturer association seeks to advance wholeness and continuity in the country by bringing together diverse economic actors in the country to advance a shared vision through stronger, enduring relationships with communities.
