Kenyan army to forego portion of salary to help combat drought: Deputy president
Rigathi Gachagua ask Kenyans to donate some of their salaries
NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) will give up one day of pay every month to help raise funds to combat the effects of a drought that has rocked the country, according to an official.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the KDF and the National Youth Service (NYS) will forgo the pay and he urged Kenyans to donate a portion of their pay to aid those affected by the drought.
“Our men and women in the KDF have offered to forgo a one-day salary to contribute to the drought response kitty,” said Gachagua.
“We appeal to Kenyans in food surplus counties to help contribute to drought-affected areas. We appeal to Kenyans of goodwill to contribute a percentage of their salaries to a pay bill number that will be established soon to contribute to the drought response kitty,” he added.
Rigathi launched the country’s newly formed National Drought Response Steering Committee. The 15-member state-funded team will provide a framework for the mobilization of additional resources following increased public interest in scaling up the drought response to meet the needs of citizens affected by drought.
The United Nations Refugee Agency released a statement Tuesday with humanitarian aid partners that urged $472.6 million in 2023 to respond to the drought to help 4.3 million people.
In pastoral areas, herders have lost 2.5 million livestock as a result of the drought. Early projections indicate the possibility of a sixth consecutive poor rainy season from March to May next year.
