Manufacturers donate KSh 104m to provide relief to drought-stricken Kenyans

Friday, 28th October 2022, Nairobi: Manufacturers have today donated KSh 104,087,361 to support Kenyans affected by the ongoing drought in the country. 

Speaking during the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Humanitarian Initiative fundraising event, His Excellency the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua 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.” 

His Excellency the Deputy President urged stakeholders to collaborate to turn Kenya into an agricultural powerhouse, “One of the ways of surmounting food crisis is modernizing our agriculture sector. We, therefore, 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.” 

KAM Chairman, Rajan Shah noted that we cannot have a thriving economy if one 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 Humanitarian Initiative is part of the Association’s KAM Humanitarian Initiative is part of the wider Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) arm of KAM – uKAMilifu. 

Through uKAMilifu, KAM 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.

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