TURKANA, Kenya, Sept 3 \u2013 Sitting outside a tiny manyatta in a village called Lomeliku in Kalapata location of Turkana County, we meet Kaler Uyereng, an elderly man probably in his 80s.<\/p>\n
For the last two months, he has had nothing to eat or drink.<\/p>\n
Kaler lives with his wife Achuka. Both are weak and hardly have the energy to walk and search for food.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not received any food. It is now two months,\u201d Achuka tells us as she covers her face as though in shame.<\/p>\n
The couple has been left with no option but feed on wild fruits. The drought that has affected the area is so severe that even camels have lost their resilience. Carcasses can be spotted easily.<\/p>\n
The story of hunger and thirst is not new to this region which is extremely hot and dry. It is also an area that has recently been at the centre of controversy after the area chief reported that some people had died of hunger.<\/p>\n
However the government denied this saying they had no records of deaths as a result of hunger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation here is bad; people are suffering a lot because there is no food. There is also a lot of charcoal burning which has led to degradation of the environment,\u201d says a local pastor Joseph Ekitui.<\/p>\n
Although the Kenya Red Cross was in the area two weeks ago to take food under the Kenyans for Kenya initiative which has so far collected at least Sh688million for famine relief, the local pastor says some of the centres never received food despite the urgent need.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they bring food, it is taken to a centre that is about seven kilometres away. The ones suffering are the old because they can\u2019t walk that distance and even if they send young children to get the food for them, sometimes they (children) come back empty handed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
He said that the Kenyans for Kenya initiative reached only two centres in the area, leaving out seven of them. The centre where Kaler and his wife Achuka could get their ration was not reached.<\/p>\n
However the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) says in the initiative, they targeted the most vulnerable population like children under five years, malnourished people, lactating and expectant mothers, elderly, the sick and school going children.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t reach everybody of course but we have reached a majority of our target group. The general food distribution is done by the government, we are there as an emergency,\u201d KRCS Communications Manager Nelly Muluka says.