President William Ruto and his deputy Kithure Kindiki have assured residents of Northern Kenya that the government is fully committed to ending famine in the region, announcing a comprehensive relief programme backed by Sh10 billion kitty.
Speaking in Mandera and Wajir counties on Thursday, February 12 2026, President Ruto said the funds have been allocated for the purchase of relief food and livestock feeds to cushion families and pastoralists affected by prolonged drought.
“We have set aside Sh10 billion to ensure no Kenyan dies of hunger and no livestock is lost because of lack of feeds,” the President said.
The Head of State, who was addressing residents after releasing Sh126 million during the launch of the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme in the two counties, said the government had put in place both short-term and long-term interventions to tackle food insecurity.
Under the National Infrastructure Fund, President Ruto said the government plans to construct 50 mega dams, 200 medium-sized dams and 1,000 micro dams across the country to support irrigation on at least 2.5 million acres of land.
A significant number of these dams, he noted, will be built in the North Eastern region to address persistent water shortages and unlock the area’s agricultural potential.
“We are making deliberate investments in water infrastructure so that Northern Kenya can move from perennial drought crises to sustainable food production,”said Ruto.
Prof Kindiki also backed his boss adding the government had moved with speed to respond to the famine situation, with food reserves and livestock feeds already being transported to affected areas.
He criticized those he termed as armchair critics, accusing them of commenting on the situation from Nairobi without understanding the realities on the ground.
“We don’t want any lectures from hotels in Nairobi. Those doing so should go to the ground and see what we are doing,” said DP Kindiki.
He accused the opposition of lacking a development agenda and being enemies of progress, saying the administration was focused on practical solutions to uplift communities in arid and semi-arid lands.
He dismissed critics of the government’s relief distribution programme, saying individuals implicated in previous scandals had no moral authority to question current efforts.
“Those who stole relief food have been sacked and therefore have no moral authority to lecture the government over distribution of relief food to Kenyans affected by drought,” he said.
President Ruto at the same time addressed the persistent electricity shortages in Mandera and Wajir counties noting the government has initiated the urgent installation and hiring of additional diesel-powered generators to stabilise power supply in the short term.
He added that plans are underway to connect the two counties to the national electricity grid to provide reliable and affordable power.
The President also defended his direct involvement in the rollout of the NYOTA programme, dismissing criticism over his personal oversight of the disbursement of funds to youth groups.
He described NYOTA as a transformative initiative aimed at empowering young people through access to start-up capital, financial inclusion and job creation.
“I personally attend these NYOTA meetings to see the disbursement of the funds to you because you are important and you matter. Your destiny is important to me, to your parents, and to the nation of Kenya,” President Ruto told youths in Wajir.
He termed NYOTA as the single most consequential programme any nation can undertake saying it represents the government’s deliberate and practical plan to place young people at the centre of economic transformation.
“For the first time in the history of this country, the government has come up with a deliberate, intentional and practical plan for the empowerment of our young people across the country,” he said.
However Ruto also announced that the government will spend Sh900 million to construct a new stadium in Wajir.
The facility, he said, should be ready for use by June 1 this year and will host Madaraka Day celebrations.
“The construction of the new stadium in Wajir should be ready to be used for this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations,” he said.
The events were attended by Cabinet Secretaries Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives and MSMEs), Salim Mvurya (Sports and Youth Affairs), Aden Duale (Health) and Alfred Mutua (Labour).
Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, several Members of Parliament and MCAs were also present.
Edited by John Majau
