In his concerted efforts to combat the ranging drought that has hit various parts of the country, President William Ruto has today published a gazette notice establishing a National Steering Committee on Drought Response Committee will be headed by Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa.
The Committee, that is tasked with coming up with a private-sector led National Drought Mitigation fund under the auspices of the Kenya Red Cross, comprises of notable names in the corporate world.
Members of the committee include; Equity Bank CEO James Mwangi, Diamond Trust Bank CEO Nasim Devji, African Banking Corporation Bank CEO Shamaz Savani, Kenya Commercial Bank CEO Paul Rushdie Russo, Family Bank Limited CEO Rebecca Mbithi, East African Breweries Limited CEO Jane Karuku, Jamii Telecommunications Limited CEO Joshua Chepkwony among others.
The government has been in the recent past distributing relief food in drought-stricken areas. The constitution of the Steering Committee also comes amid a debate on the viability of the importation of GMO Maize.
CS Trade Moses Kuria got himself in the headwinds after his remark on the importation of the GMO maize . Speaking at a past event, Moses Kuria stated that the government was considering giving through way for the importation of the genetically modified maize.
His statement did not however augur well with Kenyans, opposition leaders and church leaders. ODM leader Raila Odinga has since asked Kuria to apologize to Kenyans over his remarks.
North Rift MPs, who hail from a maize growing region, have also taken case with Kuria’s remarks, saying that his justification for the importation of 10million bags of GMO Maize will have a ravaging effect on farmers.
