Over 500 needy Muslim families from the Somali community in Isiolo County have received food aid from Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho to enable them mark Eid ul Fitr celebrations amid challenges paused by the tough economic times, drought and insecurity in the region.
The food aid was channelled through the office of Isiolo Somali Council of elders, who then distributed it to needy families across ten clans of the community living in Isiolo, mainly in Burat and Bulapesa wards.
According to Somali Council of elders’ officials led by their Secretary General Idle Hassan, the food aid will be enough to cushion the benefitting families for at least 15 days. Idle noted that 55 needy families from each of the ten Somali Community clans living in Isiolo received the aid, bringing the total number of benefitting families to 550.
Each of the targeted families received ten Kilograms of rice, Five Kgs of Sugar, 3 litres of cooking oil, 6 kgs of Wheat flour, one kilogram of salt as well as palm dates.
The Somali Council of elders’ officials lauded the move by the Ali Hassan Joho foundation to help needy Muslim families at a time when they needed help most, amid the ongoing tough economic times, a situation that has been worsened by the prolonged drought that has led to death of livestock which is their main economic mainstay, as well as rising insecurity challenge in the region, as herders from the various pastoralist communities in Isiolo and the neighbouring counties of Samburu, Marsabit, Wajir and Garissa scramble for little pasture and water resources.
Several people have died as a result of the conflicts especially along the border with Samburu and Meru Counties.
Abikar Mohamed, who chairs the Somali Community Grazing Committee appealed to both County and national governments as well as other well – wishers especially leaders to emulate the gesture by governor Joho and extend their helping hand to needy households in order to enable them to overcome the tough economic times with relative ease.
The elders’ officials noted that the benefitting households will now mark Eid ul fitr celebrations in style, just like other well off families’ courtesy of the intervention by Governor Joho.
