The Mountain Journal
editor@themountainjournal.co.ke
Chaos erupted in a relief food distribution forum in Gatundu South, Kimabu county after hundreds of widows and widowers scrambled for relief food.
The trouble emerged when undeserving persons who were not registered fought for food that was meant for the vulnerable families.
The distribution exercise, organized by Principal Secretary for Correctional Services Salome Beacco to support vulnerable families during the ongoing drought, turned chaotic shortly after she handed out food rations to a few beneficiaries.
What is viewed as lack of effective coordination that included crowd control mechanisms saw the crowd overwhelming the few security officers positioned as they scrambled for the little portion of rice and beans that had been stored.
The chaos reigned as the police fired in the air, but the elderly dropped their ration and scampered for safety.
After the calm returned, the majority of the venerable people returned to collect the cereals that were littered within the deputy county commissioners compound, which the majority termed as an embarrassment.
Earlier, the Principal Secretary Ms Beacco had told journalists that Central Kenya, like many other parts of the country, is grappling with drought that has left many households without adequate food.
“ The government is working to roll out irrigation projects across the country to enable farmers to grow food without relying solely on rainfall,” she said.
But the local MP Gabriel Kagombe described the food distribution exercise as a sham out to humiliate the elderly persons who had arrived at the venue early and the Ps to delay for hours.
“ The residents arrived at 7 am yet the chief host arrived around 4pm, and without proper crowd control or communication, the process was reckless and disrespectful to the elderly persons,” said Kagombe in a statement.
The MP said the decision to proceed with distribution strictly based on pre-prepared lists, in the presence of many unregistered but needy residents, without adequate security, sensitization, or engagement, was a serious misjudgment. Predictably, tensions escalated, resulting in chaos and destruction. of food and supplies meant for the most vulnerable in our society.“The registration was conducted at selected Chiefs offices, the process was neither inclusive nor coordinated across the constituency, creating confusion and legitimate grievances among residents who believed they were equally deserving of support. This lack of uniform administration planted the seeds of disorder long before the event began, he added.
