Marsabit county government on Saturday donated food to residents of Hellu- Manyatta ward in Moyale sub-county in a move to cushion them from the effects of drought experienced in the region.

Marsabit Governor is responding to spiking hunger and poverty due to long dry periods in the county, where already dire conditions are becoming even worse.

The relief food was distributed to the residents according to their vulnerability as part of the county government's efforts to save lives.

The rain failure led to poor performance in both the livestock and crop sectors which are the main source of livelihood for the local communities.

Marsabit is one of the worst affected counties by drought.

It is estimated that close to 95 per cent of the population experiencing food insecurity, with 50 per cent facing emergency food insecurity levels.

The first food distribution happened in November last year and families report relief and gratitude upon receiving the food rations.

The food supply came as a relief to over 20,000 households across the county with each ward 1,000 households benefited.

While supervising relief distribution exercise at the Chief's office in Hellu-Manyatta ward, the county executive committee member Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development Adan Hirbo Doche said Governor Mohamud's administration would continue to spearhead efforts to assist affected families in water trucking and relief food aid.

He said the governor is working round the clock to avoid the deaths of any resident due to the ongoing drought.

"This is the worst drought experienced in our county. We will have to pray to God to provide rain for our livestock to survive. The governor has procured 20,000 bags of rice and cooking oil which will assist residents for some days," he said

He said governor Mohamud launched a second bunch of relief distribution on Tuesday to prevent the most vulnerable people from slipping into famine and added that the food assistance would be scaled up to reach a larger proportion of the population affected by climate change.

"The magnitude of the current drought and its impact on the people necessitate the need to expand interventions to save lives," said Hirbo.

The county executive said the number of people severely affected by food shortages was identified by village elders saying governor Mohamud has lineup various intervention measures to ensure every deserving person receives food.

"The governor wants to make sure the most disadvantaged families get the support they needed," he said

He said the Governor is committed to ensuring both long and short-term measures are put in place to prevent deaths as a result of starvation.

He said, in its cardinal duty of ensuring citizens' safety not threatened by severe droughts.

The county government has been providing water and food support to vulnerable households, describing the situation as worse where residents battling their own hunger and that of their few remaining animals.

Hirbo said Governor Mohamud was touched by the current drought situation and will continue coordinating relief distribution to ensure residents who are food insecure receive relief food distributed by the county government.