Posted Monday, September 27 2010 at 17:50
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Kenyan government have been faulted for delayed resumption of the relief food distribution programme in parts of the country facing famine.
Local Members of Parliament in parts of Turkana, Garissa and Tana River districts on Monday accused the WFP of attempting to impose international agencies as lead distributing agencies when the locals preferred the Kenya Red Cross.
The MPs spoke amid reports that some people in Turkana have resorted to feeding on dog meat due to hunger.
They also spoke against the backdrop of the delayed resumption of the Emergency Operation-Protracted Relief and Recovery Programme in some of the areas which the WFP partners with the Government of Kenya to provide relief food and aid.
On Monday, Bura MP Dr Abdi Nuh, Dujis MP Mr Aden Duale and Turkana Central MP Mr Ekwee Ethuro claimed politics were at play and said locals would not allow WFP to force or dictate any agency on them.
However, in a swift rejoinder, WFP denied claims that it was imposing any agency stating that applying agencies must meet the criteria set for selecting distributing partners.
WFP Public Information Officer Ms Rose Ogola said there was a lot of political interference in the Turkana Central case in particular and that distribution was going on in areas that have no interference.
"We don’t make any impositions, Kenya Red cross is our largest distributing partner already in six districts and nobody else has that kind of distribution," she said.
She said the agency has to meet the procedures in Garissa and Turkana Central before it is picked.
"Due process was not followed in Turkana central and there is a lot of political interests and we don’t feel we should be pushed," she said.
The officer said the agency will be meeting with the Government to resolve the issue by the end of the week.
"We cannot just pick anyone, it is a fair process," she said.
WFP in collaboration with the Government selects agencies that are used in food distribution. The Government provides a fraction of what is distributed by the relief agency.
The district steering committees and drought management authorities, according to the MPs who addressed the press at Parliament Buildings, approved the choice of Kenya Red Cross as the WFP cooperating partner on the basis of reliability, efficiency and that it was a home grown agency.
"Kenya Red Cross is the society of choice for the country because it has the capacity, if anyone dies of hunger, WFP will be to blame," Mr Ethuro said.
"It is a shame and irresponsible on the part of WFP," he stated.
The MPs also blame the Government for the delayed commencement of the distribution saying it was not being firm on its decisions.
The project has not kicked off again since the last cycle in July, and this has to do with the procedures that are being followed to select an agency for the task of distribution, the MP said.
"The problem we have is someone trying dictating to us, as long the district committees decides on what they prefer, locals have no problem, but the problem is with the choice of the cooperating agency," Dr Nuh said.
He claimed the agency prefers the German Agro Action as the lead agency in Bura yet it was rated third by the district committee, among the applicants.
The MPs said they were keen on competence of the cooperating agencies that are picked and their efficiency and not about the cost.
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