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Kenyans4Kenya kitty wraps up

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 26 – The Kenyans4Kenya initiative had raised over Sh664 million by Friday evening, amid an appeal by the steering committee for those who made pledges to honour them in good time.

Saturday will mark the end of the month-long fundraising campaign at a public concert at Uhuru Park grounds to be attended by over 20 leading musicians from across the country.

Among the performers will be Juacali, Nameless, Juliani, Wahu, M.O.G, Jaguar, Eric Wainaina, Sauti Sol and the Phonotex Band.

All proceeds from the concert will go towards bolstering the kitty.

Audit firm Deloitte East Africa said that out of the total pledges, cheques and cash (Sh344 million) has been received while Sh295.8 million is still the outstanding balance in pledges.

The other outstanding in cash is money that has not been transferred into the K4K account, but easily collectible through the various systems.

“I thank our partners and especially the MOA (Media Owners Association) for joining in this initiative at such short notice. Their contribution, especially in harnessing public opinion towards this worthy cause, shall go a long way in alleviating the suffering of Kenyans,”
said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.

The famine crisis in Kenya has already received unprecedented media coverage especially from the international media due to the influx of refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps.

The corporate appeal comes at a time when the United Nations (UN) has also called an emergency meeting in Rome to mobilise aid so save starving Kenyans from hunger.

Arthur Mwai, CEO of Mercury Lounge, speaking at its introduction was excited to jump on the bandwagon and said the virtual drink will surely lift the donations to surpass the Sh1 billion mark.

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Sarova Hotels have already led the way by introducing the K4K virtual drink in all of their establishments around the country.

“We have made excellent progress in feeding and giving medication to children, women and the elderly in different parts of the country but we need to collect all the pledges to be able to embark on the long-term projects that have been piloted,” Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Gullet said.

He said the long-term projects will focus on a number of initiatives. “These projects will include irrigating arid and semi-arid regions, water harvesting plans during rainy season and rehabilitation or drilling of new boreholes,” said Mr Gullet.

So far, about 600 metric tonnes of food and medicine has been distributed to Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Moyale, Isiolo, Marsabit, West Pokot, East Pokot and Samburu.

The initiative targets to reach over 400,000 children, women and the elderly in dire need of food.

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