The government will set up a fund under the Public Finance Management Act which will solutions to drought, following the prolonged drought affecting different parts of the country.
National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) Director of Technical Services Sunya Orre said the government has put in place measures to assist families that have been adversely affected by the drought being experienced in parts of the arid and semi-arid counties.
Speaking in Garissa County during a two day workshop, Orre said the funds will be used in developing a long term strategy to cushion drought effects.
Orre further said the initial amount put in the fund will be Sh2 billion, adding that the National Treasury has already budgeted for it and the funds will be used to support all the sectors currently affected by the drought including livestock, agriculture, education, health and nutrition, peace and security.
The director said the funds will be used in drought preparedness, resilience building in terms of infrastructure that will help the country get out of emergencies and also cater for recovery.
“The government is taking long term solutions to this challenge. We are now establishing a fund whose purpose will be to build long term resilience in terms of drought and invest on preparedness measures that will militate against drought,” he said.
“To effectively manage drought, the government has seen it fit to set a side fund for drought management be readily accessed at the time of need,” he added.
The workshop brought together participants from six arid and semi-arid counties of Garissa, Isiolo, Meru, Mandera, Wajir and Tana River.